From "The Tale of Ise" (伊勢物語より)

This is an exercise for bettering my translation skills. Hopefully I will be even better at my everyday technical translation activities that I am currently engaged with. (Not to mention my another duty (This is even more important!) as a technical supporter of 3D CAD). Note that this is not a translation of the original but a translation plus some more explanation in the modern English.

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"The Tale of Ise (伊勢物語)" is a collection of poems and narratives, which consists of more than 100 sections, including romantic episodes over an ideal central character. This character is suggested to be Ariwara no Narihira (在原業平 825-880), an influential politician of the time. There is another collection of poems (Kokin Waka Shu, 905: 古今和歌集), containing similar headnotes attributed to Ariwara no Narihira. Some critics say that this Ariawara (an actually existed individual) and the imaginary central character of the tale have something in common in terms of how they were described. "The Tale of Ise" is considered to be published around the time this "Kokin Waka Shu" (translated as "The Collection of Contemporary Waka Poems") was released in 905.

私は技術翻訳・通訳を十七歳の頃から少しずつやらせていただいております。また、仕事以外では日本文学の読書・英訳を趣味にしています。普段着の私が大体どのような感じの英語に翻訳するのかをご覧いただくべく、簡単なサンプルを用意させていただいている次第です。

今回は翻訳というよりは、原文（古文）の「現代英語解釈版」を行なっております。 その旨ご了承ください。


[1] Original

昔、田舎わたらひしける人の子ども、井のもとにいでて遊びけるをおとなになりにければ、男も女も恥ぢかはしてありけれど、男は「この女をこそ得め。」と思ふ。女は「この男を。」と思ひつつ、親のあはすれども聞かでなむありける。

さて、この隣の男のもとより、かくなむ、

筒井筒井筒にかけし まろがたけ過ぎにけらしな妹見ざるまに

女、返し、

くらべこし振り分け髪も肩すぎぬ君ならずしてたれかあぐべき

などと言ひ言ひて、つひに本意のごとくあひにけり。


[1] English translation

Once upon a time, there were a little boy and a little girl in a small village, who used to play together. As they grew up, they started to feel shy one another, but the boy was secretly thinking, "I want to marry her." The girl also thought the same but didn't show her feeling. Their parents suggested their son and daughter that they marry but they refused every time.

The boy had his servant send this poem to the girl:

"Do you still remember the days we used to measure our heights near the well?
I'm sure you can't imagine how tall I have got now. We haven't seen each other for a long time."

The girl replied in a poem:

"We also used to see each other how long our hair had become.
My hair has become even much longer so as to go beyond my shoulder.
Now I'm ready for the martial ritual to tie my hair up. It is for no other man but you."

They were corresponding to each other like this, until finally they married as they had long wished in secret.



[2] Original

さて、年ごろ 経るほどに、女、親なく、頼りなくなるままに、
「もろともにいふかひなくてあらむやは。」
とて、河内の国、高安の郡に、行き通ふ所いできにけり。

さりけれど、このもとの女、「あし。」と思へる気色もなくて、
いだしやりければ、男、「こと心ありてかかるに やあらむ。」
と思ひ疑ひて、前栽の中に隠れゐて、河内へいぬる顔にて見れば、
この女、いとよう化粧じて、うちながめて、

風吹けば沖つ白波 たつた山夜半にや君がひとり越ゆらむ

とよみけるを聞きて、限りなくかなしと思ひて、河内へもいかずなりにけり。



[2] English translation

Years went by and the girl's father passed away. This incident challenged their life because they had relied substantially on this father. The boy couldn't stand that tough situation. He started to date with another girl at Takayasu county, Kawachi prefecture.

Although the boy was away from home sometimes to see another girl, the wife didn't seem to get upset. The boy started suspecting, "It's strange. I wonder if she's got another guy." One day he said to his wife, "I'm going to Kawachi now," but he hid himself in the bush in the house yard to see what she'd be doing while he was out.

It turned out that the wife was there, dressed up nicely, and was looking far in distance to recite this poem:

"He must be crossing over Mt. Tatsuta by now. The mountain's name reminds me of the ocean that wavers when the wind blows. I wonder if he is safe..."

Seeing all this, the boy was pretty much moved; and he didn't go see that another girl as much as he did.



[3] Original

まれまれかの高安に来て見れば、初めこそ心にくくもつくりけれ、
今はうちとけて、手づから飯匙とりて、笥子のうつはものに盛りけるを見て、
心憂がりて、行かずなりにけり。さりければ、かの女、大和の方を見やりて、

君があたり見つつを居らむ生駒山雲な隠しそ雨は降るとも

と言ひて見いだすに、からうじて大和人、「来む。」と言へり。

喜びて待つに、たびたび過ぎぬれば、

君来むといひし夜ごとに過ぎぬれば頼まぬものの恋ひつつぞ経る

と言ひけれど、男住まずなりにけり。


[3] English translation

There was a time one day that the boy went to see the girl of Takayasu, where he found the girl was behaving vulgarly and shamelessly. The boy was disappointed because she was appearing girlishly first, but now she changed. He thought he wouldn't want to see her.

This girl didn't know anything about all this. She was looking at the direction of Yamato, where the boy was living.

She composed this poem:

"I'm looking at Mt. Ikoma, thinking that you live beyond that mountain.
I speak to the cloud, 'Don't you cover that up, even if it rains. ' "

Receiving this poem, the boy replied to her, "I will be there soon."
The girl was so glad but the boy didn't show up.

The girl sent another poem:

"You didn't come tonight...
I'm counting the days until you will come..."

But the boy didn't see her anymore.