VOLUME-6
☆Yamanoue-no Okura’s poem:
士やも
空しくあるべき
万代に
語り継ぐべき
名は立てずして
(山上憶良 巻6-978)
Onoko yamo
Munashiku arubeki
Yorozuyoni
Kataritsugubeki
Naha tatezushite
Won’t it be a shame,
For a man of aspiration,
Not to achieve a fame,
That stands out amid one now,
And o’er many an age?
(Vol.6-978)
Yamanoue-no Okura, having lived during the latter part of 7th century to the first half of 8th century as a bureaucrat and scholar, is often quoted as one of the immigrants from the war-torn Baekje Kingdom, of Korean Peninsula, but not for sure. At least, Okura may well have been equipped with the culture and knowledge of China and Korea, either acquired through heritage or through learning. He created many poems, not simply describing natural landscapes or local events, but as results of a deep philosophical thinking.
“Wonoko” describing “a man with aspiration” has always been an ideal character of Japanese men aspiring to be literary scholars or to accumulate political achievements. Okura created poems describing such high aspirations and hard work to go through within such men’s careers.
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