The Tales of Ise: Episode 7-9 (Japanese Classical Literature)
Episode 7
A long time ago, there was a man.
He lived in Kyoto.
But he lost the will to stay there.
So, he left for the eastern lands.
One day, he walked along the beach.
It was near the border of Ise and Owari.
He saw the waves.
They were white and strong.
He thought of Kyoto.
He missed it very much.
He made a poem:
いとゞしく過ぎ行く方の恋しきに
うらやましくもかへる浪かな.
I keep going far away,
but I still miss home.
I see the white waves
going back.
I wish I could go back too.
Episode 8
A long time ago, there was a man.
He did not like living in Kyoto.
So, he went to the East.
He wanted to find a new place to live.
He went with one or two friends.
They came to a mountain.
It was Mt. Asama in Shinano.
They saw smoke rising from the mountain.
He made a poem:
信濃なる浅間の嶽にたつ煙
をちこち人の見やはとがめぬ
Smoke rises from Mt. Asama in Shinano.
Can people, near or far,
see it and not care?
Episode 9
A long time ago, there was a man.
He thought he was useless in this world.
He said, “I will not live in Kyoto.”
“I will go east and find a new place to live.”
He went with one or two old friends.
No one knew the way.
They got lost many times.
They came to a place called Yatsuhashi in Mikawa.
There, the river split into eight parts, like spider legs.
That is why it was called “Yatsuhashi,” meaning “eight bridges.”
They got off their horses and sat under a tree.
They ate dried rice.
By the stream, they saw pretty irises blooming.
Someone said, “Make a poem using the word ka-ki-tsu-ba-ta. One sound for each line.”
The man made a poem:
唐衣きつゝ馴にしつましあれば
はるばる来ぬる旅をしぞ思ふ
I miss my wife
who is far away.
I wore clothes
she once made.
This long trip feels so sad.
Tears fell on the dried rice.
The rice became soft from the tears.
They went on and reached Suruga.
They came to a mountain called Utsu.
The path was dark and narrow.
Vines and maple trees blocked the way.
He felt very lonely and afraid.
Then, he met a traveler.
He knew the man from Kyoto!
He gave the traveler a letter.
He said, “Please take this to someone in Kyoto.”
He wrote a poem:
駿河なる宇津の山辺のうゝにも
夢にも人に逢はぬなりけり
I walk in the hills of Utsu.
But even in dreams,
I cannot see you.
They moved on and saw Mt. Fuji.
Even though it was late May, snow was still falling.
It looked very white.
He made another poem:
時しらぬ山は富士の嶺いつとてか
鹿の子まだらに雪の降るらむ
Mt. Fuji does not know time.
It still wears snow,
like spots on a baby deer.
Mt. Fuji was very tall.
It looked like twenty Mt. Hie stacked on top of each other.
It was shaped like a pile of salt.
Later, they came to a big river.
It was between Musashi and Shimousa.
The river was called the Sumida River.
They stood by the river and thought of Kyoto.
They were very far from home.
Everyone felt sad together.
The boatman said, “Get in the boat quickly.
It will be dark soon.”
They got in the boat.
But their hearts were heavy.
They missed someone in Kyoto.
Then, they saw a white bird.
Its beak and legs were red.
It was about the size of a sandpiper.
The bird was catching fish in the water.
No one had seen this bird in Kyoto.
They asked the boatman, “What bird is that?”
He said, “That’s the miyako-dori, the capital bird.”
The man made one last poem:
名にしおはゞいざこと問は都鳥む
わが思ふ人はありやなしやと
You are called the capital bird.
Then tell me this—
Is the one I love
still there, or not?
When he said that, everyone on the boat began to cry.
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