Monday, August 17, 2020

Princess Nukata's waka poem in the Man’yōshū (MYS I: 8), dated circa 661

Source:

http://www.wakapoetry.net/mys-i-8/

Princess Nukata (額田王, Nukata no Ōkimi, birth and death dates unknown, possibly fl. 630–690), also spelled Nukada, was a Japanese poet of the Asuka period.

The daughter of Prince Kagami and supposed younger sister of Princess Kagami, Nukata became Emperor Tenmu's favorite wife and bore him a daughter, Princess Tōchi (who would become Emperor Kōbun's consort).

A legend claims that she later became consort to Emperor Tenji, Emperor Tenmu's elder brother, but there is no evidence to support this claim.

Her waka poetry is featured in the Man’yōshū, the first and oldest poetry collection in the Japanese language. The poetry in the Man’yōshū dates from 600 to 759 A.D., the poems were written during the Asuka and Nara periods.

The poem:

熟田津に船乗りせむと月待てば潮もかなひぬ今は漕ぎ出でな

Romaji transliteration:

nigitatu ni
puna norisemu to
tuki mateba
sipo mo kanapinu
ima pa kogi’ide na

English translation:

From Nigitatsu
Would we set sail, and
Did await the moon, but
With the tides against us
Now must we go a’rowing!

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