Emperor Seinei清寧天皇
1The two fire-tending boys tell their name
白髮大倭根子命。坐伊波禮之甕栗宮。治天下也。此天皇。無皇后。亦無御子。故御名代定白髮部。故天皇崩後。無可治天下之王也。於是。問日繼所知之王也。市邊忍齒別王之妹。忍海郎女。亦名飯豐王。坐葛城忍海之高木角刺宮也。爾山部連小楯。任針間國之宰時。到其國之人民。名志自牟之新室樂。於是。盛樂。酒酣。以次第皆儛。故燒火少子二口。居竈傍。令儛其少子等。爾其一少子。曰。汝兄先儛。其兄亦。曰汝弟先儛。如此相讓之時。其會人等。咲其相讓之状。爾遂兄儛訖。次弟將儛時。爲詠曰。物部之。我夫子之。取佩。於大刀之手上。丹畫著。其緒者。載赤幡。立赤幡。見者五十隱。山三尾之。竹矣。「本」訶岐苅。末押縻魚簀。如調八絃琴。所治賜天下。伊邪本和氣。天皇之御子。市邊之。押齒王之。奴末。爾即小楯連聞驚而。自床墮轉而。追出其室人等。其二柱王子。坐左右膝上。泣悲而。集人民作假宮。坐置其假宮而。貢上驛使。於是。其姨飯豐王。聞歡而。令上於宮。故將治天下之間。平群臣之祖。名志毘臣。立于歌垣。取其袁祁命。將婚之美人手。其孃子者。菟田首等之女。名者大魚也。爾袁祁命亦立歌垣。於是。志毘臣歌曰。
Shiraka no Ohoyamatoneko no Mikoto (白髮大倭根子命) dwelt in the palace of Mikakuri at Iware (伊波禮之甕栗宮) and ruled all under heaven.
This Emperor had no Empress and no children. And so, to leave behind his name, the Shirakabe (白髮部) was established.
After the Emperor died there was no king to rule all under heaven. So they asked who should be the king to continue the sun-line, and there was the sister of Ichinobe no Oshihawake no Miko, Oshinumi no Iratsume (忍海郎女), by another name Ihitoyo no Miko (飯豐王), who dwelt in the palace of Takaki Tsunosashi at Oshinumi in Kazuraki (高木角刺宮).
Now when Odate of the Yamabe no Muraji (山部連小楯) was sent as governor of the land of Harima, he went to the new-house feast (新室樂) of a man of that land named Shijimu. The feast grew merry and the wine went deep, and one after another they all danced. Two boys who tended the fire were sitting beside the hearth, and they had those boys dance as well.
One boy said, "Elder brother, dance first," and the elder said, "Younger brother, you dance first." As they gave way to each other like this, the people gathered there laughed at the way they yielded. At last the elder danced, and then, as the younger was about to dance, he chanted:
"Our lord, who is of the Mononobe, on the hilt of the great sword he wears has a red design painted, and on its cord he hangs a red banner; and when the red banner is raised, those who look are hidden from sight — the bamboo of the mountain's three bends, cut away at the root, its tip pressed and bent like a screen of reeds, tuned as an eight-stringed koto is tuned, so he ruled all under heaven: the son of the Emperor Izahowake, Oshiha no Miko of Ichinobe — I am his descendant, made a slave."
At this Odate no Muraji heard and was so startled that he rolled off his seat. He sent out the people who were in that room, set the two princes on his right and left knees, and wept and grieved. He gathered the people and built a temporary palace, lodged the two princes there, and sent up a courier by post-horse.
Their aunt Ihitoyo no Miko heard this, rejoiced, and had them come up to the palace.
And so, when they were about to rule all under heaven, the ancestor of the Heguri no Omi (平群臣), Shibi no Omi (志毘臣) by name, stood at the utagaki (歌垣), the song gathering, and took the hand of the beautiful woman whom Oke no Mikoto (袁祁命) meant to wed. That maiden was the daughter of the Obito of Uda, and her name was Ohouo (大魚). At this Oke no Mikoto too stood at the utagaki. Then Shibi no Omi sang:
Interlinear notes 2
此二字以音。
These two graphs are read for their sound.
見者五十隱
見者五十隱 — some read this as “that hides away when you look,” a phrase modifying the mountain that follows. ― translator
2The palace corner leans
意富美夜能。袁登都波多傳。須美加多夫祁理。
Ohomiyano ototsuhatade Sumikatabukeri
— The far end wing of the great palace has its corner leaning.
3Asking for the closing lines
如此歌而。乞其歌末之時。袁祁命歌曰。
He sang thus, and when he asked for the closing lines of the song, Oke no Mikoto sang:
4The great carpenter's want of skill
意富多久美。袁遲那美許曾。須美加多夫祁禮。
Ohotakumi ojinamikoso Sumikatabukere
— It is because the great carpenter was unskilled that the corner leans.
5Shibi sings again
爾志毘臣。亦歌曰。
Then Shibi no Omi sang again:
6The eightfold brushwood fence
意富岐美能。許許呂袁由良美。淤美能古能。夜幣能斯婆加岐。伊理多多受阿理。
Ohokimino kokorooyurami Ominokono yahenoshibakaki Iritatazuari
— The great lord's heart is slack, and at the eightfold brushwood fence of the subject's son he cannot step within.
7The prince sings again
於是。王子。亦歌曰。
Then the prince sang again:
8The wife beside the tunny
斯本勢能。那袁理袁美禮婆。阿蘇毘久流。志毘賀波多傳爾。都麻多弖理美由。
Shihoseno naoriomireba Asobikuru shibigahatadeni Tsumataterimiyu
— When I look at the breaking waves of the tidal shallows, beside the tunny at play, the shibi, I see one who is to be my wife standing there.
9Shibi sings in anger
爾志毘臣。愈怒歌曰。
Then Shibi no Omi grew angrier still and sang:
10A brushwood fence that will break
意富岐美能。美古能志婆加岐。夜布士麻理。斯麻理母登本斯。岐禮牟志婆加岐。夜氣牟志婆加岐。
Ohokimino mikonoshibakaki Yafujimari shimarimotohoshi Kiremushibakaki Yakemushibakaki
— The brushwood fence of the great lord's son, bound about with eight knots, is a brushwood fence that will break, a brushwood fence that will burn.
11The prince sings again
爾王子。亦歌曰。
Then the prince sang again:
12Shibi, who spears the tunny
意布袁余志。斯毘都久阿麻余。斯賀阿禮婆。宇良胡本斯祁牟。志毘都久志毘。
Ohouoyoshi shibitsukuamayo Shigaareba urakohoshikemu Shibitsukushibi
— Great fish, Ohouo — fisherman who spears the tunny, if you let her go your heart will long for her. Shibi, who spears the tunny.
13The brothers yield to each other
如此歌而。鬪明各退。明旦之時。意富祁命。袁祁命。二柱議云。凡朝廷人等者。旦參赴於朝廷。晝集於志毘門。亦今者志毘必寢。亦其門無人。故非今。者難可謀。即興軍。圍志毘臣之家。乃殺也。於是。二柱王子等。各相讓天下。意祁命。讓其弟。袁祁命曰。住於針間志自牟家時。汝命不顯名者。更非臨天下之君。是既汝命之功。故吾雖兄。猶汝命。先治天下而。堅讓。故不得辭而。袁祁命。先治天下也。
So they sang and contended, and when the day broke each withdrew.
The next morning the two, Ohoke no Mikoto and Oke no Mikoto, took counsel together. "The men of the court all go to the court in the morning, and at midday they gather at Shibi's gate. And now Shibi is surely asleep, and there is no one at his gate. If not now, it will be hard to plan." At once they raised troops, surrounded the house of Shibi no Omi, and killed him.
Then the two princes each gave way to the other over all under heaven. Ohoke no Mikoto yielded to his younger brother Oke no Mikoto and said, "When we lived in the house of Shijimu in Harima, if you had not told our name we would never have become lords ruling all under heaven. This is your merit alone. So, though I am the elder, do you rule all under heaven first." And he yielded firmly.
And so, unable to refuse, Oke no Mikoto ruled all under heaven first.