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Waiting Cricket (914)

From the Kokinwakashū, Autumn 1, no. 202. First text is from the Nihon koten bungaku taikei; second is from the University of Virginia Library Japanese Text Initiative.

Classical Japanese

あきののに
人まつ虫の
声すなり
我かとゆきて
いざとぶらはん

Transliteration

Aki no no ni
Hito matsu mushi no
Kowe su nari
Ware ka to yuki-te
Iza toburaha-n

English

In the autumn field,
I hear that there sounds the voice of the pine cricket,
waiting for someone.
“Is it me?” Well, then, I shall
go there and investigate.

Alternate Original

あきののに
人松虫の
こゑすなり
我かとゆきて
いざとぶらはむ

Notes

まつ虫: matsu is a kakekotoba (pivot word) used twice: once for "waiting" and once for the first part of matsumushi, "pine cricket".
ん: n is a nasalized sound change for mu that was common in the Heian period; the alternate original has mu.

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