Hyakunin Isshu Oracle

No.60 小式部内侍「大江山 いく野の道の 遠ければ まだふみも見ず 天の橋立」

大江山 いく野の道の 遠ければ まだふみも見ず 天の橋立

小式部内侍

that road is long — no footstep of mine, no letter of hers

that road is long — no footstep of mine, no letter of hers

キーワードKeywords

Quick WitDistant RoadNo LetterCourt ChallengeDouble Meaning
★★ Miscellaneous

小式部内侍Koshikibu no Naishi — No. 60 女房・姫Court Lady

Daughter of Izumi Shikibu, who silenced a room by improvising a poem when her talent was questioned to her face.

おほえやま いくののみちの とほければ まだふみもみず あまのはしだて

Ōeyama Ikuno no michi no Tōkereba Mada fumi mo mizu Ama no Hashidate

現代語訳Modern Japanese

コンセプトConcept

情景The Scene

A court gathering, someone insinuating that her famous mother writes her poems for her. She answers on the spot, in form: the road is long, I have neither set foot there nor received a letter. The room goes quiet.

日本の美意識Japanese Aesthetic

Kakekotoba (Pivot Word)

One word means both “to step on” and “a letter,” so a travel description doubles as a rebuttal. Improvisation is most convincing when it is also formally tight.