Hyakunin Isshu Oracle

No.72 祐子内親王家紀伊「音に聞く 高師の浜の あだ波は かけじや袖の 濡れもこそすれ」

音に聞く 高師の浜の あだ波は かけじや袖の 濡れもこそすれ

祐子内親王家紀伊

those waves come in for nothing — I would rather stay dry

those waves come in for nothing — I would rather stay dry

キーワードKeywords

Idle WavesFamous FlirtRefusalWet SleeveReputation
Love

祐子内親王家紀伊Kii of Princess Yūshi’s Household — No. 72 女房・姫Court Lady

A lady-in-waiting to Princess Yūshi, who answered a poetry contest by turning her opponent’s reputation against him.

おとにきく たかしのはまの あだなみは かけじやそでの ぬれもこそすれ

Oto ni kiku Takashi no hama no Adanami wa Kakeji ya sode no Nure mo koso sure

現代語訳Modern Japanese

コンセプトConcept

情景The Scene

She has heard about him, the way one hears about a stretch of shore where the waves come in for no reason. No thank you: sleeves get wet that way, and she would rather keep hers dry.

日本の美意識Japanese Aesthetic

Shibumi (Elegant Refusal)

A no is delivered entirely through seascape, so nothing impolite is ever said. Constraint sharpens rejection: the more formal the container, the more precise the message can be.