Section CXXVI.—Emperor Nin-toku (Part VIII.—Death of King Hayabusa-Wake and Queen Medori)

p. 351 Scil. of the success of his mediation.

Or, "for whom is the loom [employed], with which my Great Lady Medori weaves?"—The word hata in Archaic Japanese signifies both "garment" and the instrument which is used to weave a garment, i.e. a "loom" ( and ). In later times the second meaning has prevailed to the exclusion of the first.

There is here a play on the name of the Queen's paramour Hayabusa-wake, which signifies "Falcon-Lord" as in the translation—The parallel passage of the "Chronicles" gives these two Songs as a single one which is put into the mouth of Queen Medori's handmaidens,—is a more acceptable version of the incident.

Motowori suspects that there is here an error in the text, which should, according to him, read: "After this."

The gist of this Song is an instigation to murder the Emperor (whose name was Oho-sazaki, i.e., "Great Wren." Conf. Sect. CIV, Note 18), addressed to the singer's husband (whose name was Hayabusa-wake, i.e., "Falcon Lord"). But the allusion to the lake remains obscure. Keichiū suggests that it is simply mentioned as a term of comparison for the falcon's power of flight, while Motowori opines that the meaning rather is: "The lark flies so high up to heaven that it would be hard to catch it; but the wren is an easy prey."

Viz., as may be supposed, repeated by some fourth person.

Kurahashi-yama, in Yamato.

The Song, like the next, is too clear to stand in need of explanation. "Ladder-like" is an attempt to render the force of the Pillow-Word hashi-tate. See Mabuchi's "Dictionary of Pillow-Words," s.v., for the exact force attributed to it by Mabuchi.

For Uda see Sect. XLVI, Note, 14. The etymology of Soni is equally obscure.

The character , though read by the commentators with the usual Japanese Honorific mi, "august," has here its proper Chinese signification of "Imperial."