モリシップランの万葉集英訳

VOLUME-3
☆Ono-no Oyu’s poem:

あをによし
 奈良の都は
  咲く花の
薫ふがごとく
 今盛りなり
(小野老朝臣 巻3-328)

Aoniyoshi
 Nara-no miyakoha
  Sakuhana-no
Nihohuga gotoku
 Ima sakari nari 

In a greenish hue,
Palatial Nara is now
Shining all around,
Emitting brilliant aura
Like full-blown flowers’ aroma!
(Vol.3-328)


“Aoniyoshi”, appearing on the top of the poem, is so-called “Pillow Word”, or “stock epithet”, functioning as a decorative prelude to the word directly following it, or even to the whole poem. Each epithet seems to have a certain relevance in the meaning and atmosphere to the recipient word, “Palatial Nara” in this case. You will come across such decorative epithets in other poems, and I will let you know there. They say Ancient Nara used to produce and utilize local greenish ochre (Aoni) for the tiles and structures.
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