[34] たれ (Tare)

 Poem Meaning and Background

Odawara, from the series "Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido"
by Utagawa Hiroshige

たれをかも・しるひとにせむ・たかさごの
tare o ka mo・shiru hito ni sen・Takasago no

まつもむかしの・ともならなくに

matsu mo mukashi no・tomo nara naku ni

〜藤原興風 (Fujiwara no Okikaze)

Translation

Who is still alive

When I have grown so old

That I can call my friends?

Even Takasago's pines

No longer offer comfort.

Meaning

Given the choice, I think most people would choose to live a long and healthy life. However, one of the challenges of growing older is losing the people we love. Here the author is giving a very clear picture of the loneliness that can come with being long-lived. The only camaraderie he can seem to find is in the pines on the shore of Takasago, which have also survived for a long time...but alas, these trees don't make for very comforting friends since he can't communicate with them. The comparison of the author to the pine trees of Takasago, which are a symbol of luck and longevity, also serves as a sharp contrast to the stark reality of the transient and lonely nature of the human experience. 

Takasago, located in Hyogo Prefecture, is famous for the the pines that grow along the shoreline, and it is a location that is referenced in other waka poems. 

Author

Fujiwara no Okikaze (dates unknown) was a nobleman and waka poet active in the middle Heian Period. He is known as one of the 36 Immortals of Poetry and many of his poems appear across several imperial poetry anthologies, including the Kokin Wakashū. He was also a famed biwa and koto player. 

Many examples of biwa and koto performances can be found on youtube; here's one showing a rendition of the traditional Japanese folk song "Sakura" played on a 25 stringed koto.