[10] これ (Kore)

 Poem Meaning and Background

A sign with Semimaru's poem near "Osaka no Seki" in Shiga Prefecture
(Picture from Google Maps)

これやこの・ゆくもかへるも・わかれては

kore ya kono・yuku mo kaeru mo・wakarete wa

しるもしらぬも・あふさかのせき

shiru mo shiranu mo・Ōsaka no seki

 

    ~蝉丸　（Semimaru）

Translation

Truly, this is where
Travelers who go or come
Over parting ways -- 

Friends or strangers -- all must meet:
The gate of "Meeting Hill"

Meaning

    This poem is describing a bustling trade route that connected the capitol (then Kyoto) to the area near Lake Biwa (now Otsu City in Shiga). A formal checkpoint,  逢坂の関（Ausaka no seki), was established near where the author of this poem lived, in Ausaka (pronounced "Osaka", but not to be confused with Osaka Prefecture). 逢坂山 (Ausakazan), where  Ausaka no seki was established, is located in Otsu, Shiga, and there you can find a shinto shrine called Semimaru jinja, which is named after the author of this poem. 

Another, somewhat more direct translation of this poem reads: 

So this is the place! The crowds, coming, going, meeting, parting; friends, strangers, known, unknown. 
The author of this poem famously lived alone in a hut atop "Meeting Hill", and was also known for playing the Biwa lute. To me, this poem sounds quite lyrical, which is perhaps due to the author's musical background. 

Author

    Semimaru (dates unknown), also called Semimaro, was a famous poet and blind Biwa lute player who lived during the early Heian Period.