Poem Meaning and Background
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| Depiction of the poem by artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi |
あさぼらけ・うじのかわぎり・たえだえに
asaborake・Uji no kawagiri・tae-dae ni
あらはれわたる・せぜのあじろぎ
araware wataru・seze no ajirogi
〜 権中納言定頼（Gon Chūnagon Sadayori）
Translation
In the early dawn
When the mists on Uji River
Slowly lift and clear,
From the shallows to the deep,
The stakes of fishing nets appear.
Meaning
The author is referencing Uji River, a location that is referenced quite a few other poems of the time. Uji is located in Kyoto and since it was somewhat removed from the capitol, many Heian-era nobles had villas there. The poem itself is considered a winter poem, because the scene it depicts is typical of winter. The "fishing stakes" laid in the shallows were meant to catch recently hatched ayu (sweetfish). Some have wondered whether this poem is a metaphor for hidden love, or some other deeper meaning, but many interpret it at face value. It beautifully depicts a crisp, quiet winter morning, with the scenery slowly being revealed to the author piece by piece by the rising morning mist. There is a sense of freshness and we can feel the awe of the author witnessing this first-hand and wanting to capture it and share it with others through this poem.
For clarification: some English translations of this poem seem to think the location the author is referencing is in Zeze, which is located in Shiga by Lake Biwa. The basis for this interpretation seems to come from the phrase 瀬々(seze) in the poem, along with the fact that the Uji River connects to Lake Biwa. However, this seems like an unlikely interpretation for several reasons. First, I can't find any Japanese sources which back up this interpretation. Second, the location, 膳所 (Zeze) has completely different kanji from the poem, as well as a different pronunciation, so the word 瀬々likely simply means the shallows of the river. Last, while the river is called 宇治川 (Uji gawa) in Kyoto, it is known as 瀬田川 (Seta gawa) in Shiga. While I don't know if that part of the river had a different name in the Heian period, all things considered, it still seems far more likely that the author is referencing the part of the river that's in Uji, Kyoto.
あさぼらけ (asaborake) is a time reference indicating that the sun is just starting to rise, but that it is still quite dark outside. 宇治の川霧（Uji no kawagiri) is referring to mist rising off Uji-river. たえだえに(taedaeni) is an adverb, that can mean piece by piece, or intermittently, and seems to refer to how the mist/fog is clearing. The way that the poem ends with a noun phrase (瀬々の網代木 seze no ajirogi) is called 体言止め(taigen dome), and it throws extra emphasis on the location and leaves a strong impression.
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