never the same river twice

[hope]

Different translations of Izumi Shikibu's poems. The first translation I found presented it as one poem:

My black hair tangled
As my own tangled thoughts,
I lie here alone,
Dreaming of one who has gone,
Who stroked my hair till it shone.

When I think of you,
Fireflies in the marsh rise
Like the soul's jewels,
Lost to eternal longing,
Abandoning my body.


the second translation i found (which i prefer) as two:

My black hair's
In disarray-uncaring
He lies down, and
First, gently smoothes it:
My darling love.

I'm at such a loss;
Fireflies by the marsh:
From my breast
Wanders out
My soul, or so it seems.

Comments

[birdgerhl.livejournal.com]

mm, i am enjoying the japanese poetry.

b.x :)

[hope]

I am very fond of it myself :) I wish I could read kanji, to get more of the nuances of it no doubt left out in the translations/romanisations.

[ladyjaida.livejournal.com]

I wish I could read kanji, to get more of the nuances of it no doubt left out in the translations/romanisations.

Yep, the story of my life. But I second the enjoyment of the Japanese poetry most wholeheartedly. God, I love Japanese literature no matter how it manifests itself. :D