Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
忘らるる
Ukon · 右近
忘らるる
身をば思はず
誓ひてし
人の命の
惜しくもあるかな
Historical kana
わすらるる
みをばおもはず
ちかひてし
ひとのいのちの
をしくもあるかな
Original English translation
I do not think of myself, forgotten; what I grieve for is the life of the one who swore that oath.
History and context
Ukon’s love poem invokes the religious seriousness of promises: an oath could call down divine punishment if broken. The apparently generous concern also makes an accusation against an unfaithful lover.
Imagery and wordplay
The focus shifts from abandonment to the oath-breaker’s safety. Concern and reproach remain inseparable.
Shūishū · 拾遺集恋四870
Japanese text and historical kana follow the linked Wikisource transcription. Classical poems can have variant spellings and wording in different anthologies. The source anthology reference identifies the version represented in this collection, not necessarily its earliest surviving text. English prose translations and reading notes are original interpretations; some wordplay permits more than one reading.