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A Hundred Verses from Old Japan · 54 of 101

53. The Mother of Michi-tsuna, Commander of the Right Imperial Guard: Udaishō Mi

53

The Mother of Michi-tsuna, Commander of the Right Imperial Guard

UDAISHŌ MICHI-TSUNA NO HAHA

Nageki-tsutsu Hitori nuru yo no Akuru ma wa Ikani hisashiki Mono to kawa shiru.

ALL through the long and dreary night I lie awake and moan; How desolate my chamber feels, How weary I have grown Of being left alone!

This lady was the daughter of Motoyasu Fujiwara, and the wife of the Regent Kaneie; she was famous for her beauty, and lived in the reign of the Emperor Mura-kami (947-967). It is related, that her husband returned home late one night, and, having to wait a moment or two before she let him in, he angrily reproached her, and she replied with this verse (see illustration).

Yo no akuru ma means ‘until the dawn’, but akuru ma also suggests that the room is empty when he is away.