Kokin Wakashuu: Poem 544

夏蟲の
身をいたづらに
なすことも

一つ思ひ¹に
よりてなりけり

The summer insects
Compelled toward the fire
To perish in vain

Oh, the ardency of love –
‘Twas so similar to this!

Footnotes

1. The phrase「思ひに」is a piece of wordplay which depends on combining the meanings of 「火」, meaning “fire” and read as「ひ」, and「思い」, meaning “emotion(s)” and written here in older, Classical Japanese as「思ひ」. Given that the poem is about a person comparing the consuming strength of their emotions to insects being consumed by a fire they’re drawn inexplicably to, the poet is likely playing with how the word for “emotion(s)” partly contains the word for “fire”.

Translation Commentary

As befits a poem from a 10th century collection, this was very difficult to translate. It was difficult to even understand, and I had to read a fair few poetic commentaries from native Japanese speakers before I felt like I grasped the general meaning of the more archaic language. Not only that, but it was difficult to decide on my goal in translating this poem, too.

Should I keep metre in the way that most English readers would expect from Japanese poetry? Should I consider metre a guide rather than a requirement, following the stylistic precedent of haiku-writers? Haiku in particular are notable for more than just the 5-7-5 structure – also important is the use of kigo (a “seasonal word”, not necessarily the name of the season itself, used to evoke the tone or feeling of a season) and kireji (a “cutting letter”, used to punctuate haiku by either being placed at the end to add a sense of closure/finality or by being placed in the middle to indicate that the haiku is comprised of two separate but connected concepts).

Additionally, my research showed that the understanding of metre as being syllabic count isn’t necessarily accurate; Japanese is instead based around morae, or “sounds”, and this is impossible to bring across to English. Many argue that to try is futile, and the time would be better spent on the kigo and kireji.

After some thought, much of which was dedicated to abandoning the 5-7-5-7-7 metre so that I might have more flexibility in my English translation, I eventually chose to keep the metre. While I can hardly argue with those more educated that haiku do strongly emphasise kigo and kireji, and that many consider kigo and kireji to be more important than the 5-7-5 metre, the Kokin Wakashuu is a collection of waka poetry, which is a precursor to the haiku, and thus many of the more layered requirements for a “good” haiku are not noted as being requirements for waka during this period. On top of that, the brevity necessitated by the 5-7-5-7-7 metre, to me, both enhanced the precision of the poem and emphasised its thematic focus.

My attitude to the translation of this poem, then, was indeed to keep metre and imagery balanced as best I could.

Thematic Commentary

This poem is, fundamentally, a love poem. Rather than expressing love towards a person’s virtues or physical qualities, though, the anonymous author has chosen to focus on the uncontrollable, all-consuming allure of a love that compels those it hypnotises into yet further obsession, to the point of self-destruction.

The imagery is both vivid and visceral: in the setting of the season, the feeling of a temperate summer’s night is evoked; in describing the playfulness of the insects drawn to the fire, there is a false safety in its enticing, beauteous appeal; in the language of futility surrounding the insects’ deaths, there is a melancholy resignation; and finally, the last two lines are establishing the voice of the poet, communicating to us their insight with the clarity of experience.

One thing of particular interest to me is the poet’s depiction of the insects’ behaviour. The fire, despite being the centre and inspiration of the poem, does nothing but exist, and it is the choice of the insects that ultimately doom them. The fire is absolved of agency. In a way, I find this more tragic – to be subsumed, pointlessly, in pursuit of an unreciprocated, ambivalent love, which, by its very nature, can only destroy.

Further Comments

There’re other translations of this poem out there, and I hope that you seek out those in addition to mine. Translation is a subjective art, and there’s no singular “correct” translation; rather, there are several “good” translations which all choose to emphasise different elements of the source, and each translation reflects the understanding of the individual writing the translation.

There’s no replacement for engaging with the source language directly, but engaging with multiple translations is a great way to get a better grasp of the ways in which the source can be read. I myself often seek out other translations for this purpose; I enjoy seeing how others form and express their interpretations.

I also intend to do a lot more reading into Classical Japanese, to see if I can incorporate more than just modern Japanese poetic commentary… I’ve come across a seemingly good resource published by a Shirane Haruo, so let’s see!

The full text of the Kokin Wakashuu can be found here:
http://jti.lib.virginia.edu/japanese/kokinshu/kikokin.html

ozymushdias

look on my works, ye mighty, and despair

Menu

Kokin Wakashuu: Poem 544

Footnotes

Translation Commentary

Thematic Commentary

Further Comments

Further Reading