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8 love and loss Tanka poems in Japanese and English
Of Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets which gathered the famous Tanka poems in Japan, 43 has a theme of love. In particular, poetry related to lost love is a work with a strong message nature, in which the painful or painful feelings are contained in short phrases.
I would like to introduce eight poets’ sad poems about heartbreak from this anthology of masterpieces in Japanese and English.
Reading in Advance…
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Sagami
<Japanese>
うらみわび ほさぬ袖だに あるものを 恋に朽ちなむ 名こそ惜しけれ
Urami wabi/ Hosanu sode dani/ Arumono wo/ Koi ni kuchi nam/ Na koso oshi kere
<English>
Never forgive you
My long-sleeve
Always get wet, furthermore,
Bad news travels by the love
Feel regretful
Ise
<Japanese>
難波潟 短き葦の ふしの間も あはでこの世を すぐしてよとや
Naniwa-gata/ Mijikaki ashi no/ Fushi no ma mo/ Awade kono yo wo/ Sugushite toya
<English>
Like a node
Of short reed
In Naniwa Lagoon
Do I have to pass my whole life
Without meeting with you
Kentoku-ko
<Japanese>
あはれとも いふべき人は 思ほえで 身のいたづらに なりぬべきかな
Aware tomo/ Iu beki hito wa/ Omo oede/ Mi no itazura ni/ Nari nu beki kana
<English>
I think
Nobody who says
“You poor thing” to me
I must be going to
Pass away vacantly
The Mother of Udaijin (Minister of the Right) Michitsuna
<Japanese>
嘆きつつ ひとり寝る夜の 明くる間は いかに久しき ものとかは知る
Nageki tsutsu/ Hitori nuru yo no/ Akuru ma wa/ Ika ni hisashi ki/ Mono toka wa shiru
<English>
While grieving
The night I sleep alone
Until the break of dawn
Do you know
It is so long
Chunagon Asanaga
<Japanese>
あふことの 絶えてしなくば なかなかに 人をも身をも うらみざらまし
Au koto no/ Taete shinaku ba/ Nakanaka ni/ Hito womo mi womo/ Urami zaramashi
<English>
If I never
Meet her
I rather not hold
A grudge against you and me
Ukon
<Japanese>
忘らるる 身をば思はず ちかひてし 人の命の 惜しくもあるかな
Wasura ruru/ Mi woba omowazu/ Chikai tesh/ Hito no inochi no/ Oshiku mo aru kana
<English>
I don’t care that
I have been forgotten by you
But it is regrettable that
You would die
Since breaking the bow
Sakyo-taifu Michimasa
<Japanese>
今はただ 思い絶えなむ とばかりを 人づてならで いうよしもがな
Ima wa tada/ Omoi tae nam/ Tobakari wo/ Hitozute nara de/ Iu yoshimo gana
<English>
At this time
I decide to
Get over you and
Want to tell you not through
The grapevine but directly
Minamoto no Shigeyuki
<Japanese>
風をいたみ 岩うつ波の おのれのみ くだけてものを 思ふころかな
Kaze wo itami/ Iwa utsu nami no/ Onore nomi/ Kudakete mono wo/ Omou koro kana
<English>
Wind is so strong
Waves breaking on rocks Resemble me
Only I get
My heart broken
And fret recently
Read more
Related posts:
Japanese literatures and poetry
What is Japanese Tanka poetry: forms and examples by famous poems
Best 10 love lyrics of Tanka poetry by famous Japanese poets
Old Japanese love lyrics Tanka poems from Man’yoshu
Best short Tanka poems about death by ancient Japanese poets
Differences between Haiku and Tanka poetry