A Lame Excuse: Poem Number 62

As a final poem in March to honor women poets in the Hyakunin Isshu, I wanted to post a humorous, witty poem by Sei Shonagon, author of the Pillow Book:

Japanese	Romanization	Translations
夜をこめて	Yo wo komete	Although, still wrapped in night,
鳥の空音は	Tori no sorane wa	the cock’s false cry
はかるとも	Hakaru tomo	some may deceive,
よに逢おう坂の	Yo ni Ōsaka no	never will the Barrier
関はわゆるさじ	Seki wa yurusaji	of Meeting Hill let you pass.

Sei Shonagon (清少納言, dates unknown), along with Lady Izumi (poem 56) and Lady Murasaki (poem 57), is one of the most famous female authors of her generation and Japanese history as a whole. She was the daughter of Kiyohara no Motosuke (poem 42). Her name Sei is another way to read the Chinese character “kiyo” (清), while Shonagon refers to a government post (lit. “lesser councilor of state”), but it’s unclear why it’s attached to her.

She’s best known as the author of the Pillow Book. Despite the name, it is mostly just a book of witty observations regarding court life, nature, art, etc. Whereas Lady Izumi was a hopeless romantic, and Lady Murasaki was melancholy, Sei Shonagon’s writings show she had a sharp, often haughty wit:

[151]People who seem enviable — You set about learning to recite a [Buddhist] sutra, stumbling along, going endlessly over the same places and constantly forgetting bits. When you hear the same words tripping smoothly off the tongues of others — not only the priests, but other men and women — you wonder enviously if you’ll ever be able to perform like that.

….You have an urge to go on a pilgrimage to Inari Shrine, and as you’re laboriously gasping your way up the steep mountainside to the middle shrine, you’re filled with admiration to see others who’ve obviously started behind you go climbing straight up without the least effort; when you arrive, there they stand, already at their worship….

The Pillow Book, trans. Dr Meredith McKinney, page 152

Sei had the misfortune of serving Empress Teishi, who fell out of favor after her father died, and the Emperor’s 2nd wife, Empress Shoshi, eclipsed her. Lady Izumi and Lady Murasaki served the latter, and by that time Sei Shonagon was a bit of a has-been. This same power struggle also negatively impacted Fujiwara no Sadayori (poem 64). It is thought that Pillow Book was, among other things, a subtle middle-finger to the Court for abandoning Empress Teishi by painting such a rosy picture of her time.

In any case, this poem demonstrates Sei Shonagon’s wit at her finest though. As with the excerpt above, the back-story for this poem also comes from the Pillow Book:

[129] … One evening, Secretary Controller Yukinari visited the Office of the Empress’s Household [where Sei Shonagon resided as a lady-in-waiting], and stayed talking far into the night. He finally left as dawn was approaching, remarking that he must return by the Hour of the Ox [2 – 4 am] …. the next day he sent a wonderful and very lengthy message on several pieces of official paper from the Chamberlain’s Office, saying “My heart is still full of regrets for yesterday. I thought to stay till dawn speaking with you of things past, but the cock’s crow hastened me early on my way.”

In reply I wrote, “That cock you say you heard so late last night, could it be the false cock of Lord Mengchang?”

“They say,” wrote Yukinari in return, “that Lord Mengchang’s cock opened the Kanko barrier gate and thus allowed his three thousand followers finally to escape — but the barrier gate in my case was the lover’s barrier gate of Osaka.”

So I sent back the following [the poem above]

This exchange has a lot of wit, and some double-entendre (in Japanese too). Clearly, Sei is not convinced by his eloquent excuse and sends this snarky poem back that basically says that no one at Ōsaka Gate (Meeting Hill) would be fooled by it. He has to sleep alone.

Ouch. 👈🏼👈🏼😎