Poem Meaning and Background
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| 男女川(lit. Man and Woman River) |
つくばねの・みねよりおつる・みなのがは
Tsukuba-ne no・mine yori otsuru・Mina no gawa
こひぞつもりて・ふちとなりぬる
koi zo tsumorite・fuchi to nari nuru
~陽成院（Emperor Yōzei)
Translation
From Tsukuba's peak
Falling waters have become
Mina's still, full flow:
So my love has grown to be
Like the river's quiet deeps.
Mina's still, full flow:
So my love has grown to be
Like the river's quiet deeps.
Meaning
A poem which artfully draws together two natural phenomena: a small trickle of water at the peak of a mountain gathering and deepening into a grand river in the same way that the author's small spark of affection grew into a deep and passionate love.
The reference to this specific river and mountain is no coincidence, since this river, Mina no Gawa is written 男女川 (lit. Man and woman river) and traditionally, men and women would gather to sing and dance together in festivals near the river. Additionally, Mt. Tsukuba in Ibaraki Prefecture has two peaks, with the larger one referred to as the 男体山 (Nantaisan, lit. Male Body Mountain) and the smaller one called 女体山 (Nyotaisan, lit. Female Body Mountain). So it's a bit on the nose to be referring to these landmarks when talking about love between a man and a woman.
The reference to this specific river and mountain is no coincidence, since this river, Mina no Gawa is written 男女川 (lit. Man and woman river) and traditionally, men and women would gather to sing and dance together in festivals near the river. Additionally, Mt. Tsukuba in Ibaraki Prefecture has two peaks, with the larger one referred to as the 男体山 (Nantaisan, lit. Male Body Mountain) and the smaller one called 女体山 (Nyotaisan, lit. Female Body Mountain). So it's a bit on the nose to be referring to these landmarks when talking about love between a man and a woman.
Author
Despite the loveliness of this poem, Emperor Yōzei was deposed as emperor due to persistent violent and scandalous behavior. Historical records note that as a young teen, he was seen feeding live frogs to snakes, and made monkeys and dogs fight for his amusement. As he grew up, his erratic and violent nature resulted in many episodes of him torturing and even murdering people. By the time he was 17 years old, officials of the high court decided he was not fit for the role of emperor, and essentially tricked him into leaving the palace so that they could replace him with his father's uncle, who was also his father-in-law, Emperor Kōkō.
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