the ruins of Ōmi
|
fair as any
girl Mt. Unebi
with her scarf The Kashihara arose in the
beginning with lords of
the sun the gods came
down to rule us one by one
all told a nation under
heaven ruled by
succession as a row of
tall pine trees in luminescent Yamato
province why then go
over Nara hills the
richly hued and leave it
behind to found a
new capital past the
horizon and make a
rustic palace where water
hits rocks Ōmi
province rather Sasanami
there Ōtsu the
great palace held our
great ruler his court upon
the nation here beneath
heaven our sovereign
lord began his rule of
the land it is many
times spoken a palace was
here and great
halls stood in this place only grasses
now a welter of
overgrowth and mists
that float up into the
vernal sunlight over the
ruins wall upon
palace wall gone looking at it saddens me
Sasanami
there the Kara Cape
at Shiga stays the
same always but let it
wait forever no court
pleasure boats will come Sasanami
there just off the
coast of Shiga the waters
are still and cannot
expect to see |
Kakinomoto Hitomaro
tr. after Prof. Miner