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The Shitomae Barrier尿前の關

Oku no Hosomichi (The Narrow Road to the Deep North) 奥の細道 · Matsuo Bashō · 1702 (printed, Genroku 15) · the journey of 1689 · 1 passages · 144 Chinese characters · reading time 0.4 min

Oku no Hosomichi (The Narrow Road to the Deep North) Complete in one volume "The months and days are the travelers of a hundred generations, and the years that come and go are travelers too" — the travel record of Bashō, who left Edo at forty-six and walked Ōshū and Hokuriku for five months. In the summer grass he sees the dreams of warriors, in the rock he hears the voice of the cicadas soaking in, and under one roof he likens the sleeping women of pleasure to bush clover and the moon. Wherever the prose comes to rest, a haiku is set down. Beside the pilgrim records of Faxian, Xuanzang, and Hyecho, this is one more road in this library.

1The Shitomae Barrier — fleas and lice, and a horse making water

南部道遙にみやりて岩手の里に泊る小黑崎みつの小島を過てなるこの湯より尿前の關にかゝりて出羽の國にこへんとす此道旅人まれなる所なれば關守にあやしめられて漸として關を越す大山をのぼつて日すでにくれければ封人の家をみかけて舍を求む 三日風雨あれてよしなき山中に逗留す のみしらみ馬の尿する枕もと

I looked far off toward the road to Nanbu and stayed at the village of Iwate. I passed Ogurozaki and Mizu no Kojima, and from the hot spring of Naruko I came to the Shitomae Barrier, meaning to cross into the province of Dewa.

This is a road where travelers are rare, and the barrier keeper looked on me with suspicion. Only with much trouble did I get past the barrier. I was climbing a great mountain, and the sun had already set, so I caught sight of a border warden's house and asked for a bed.

For three days wind and rain raged, and I stayed in those mountains where there was nothing to see.

Fleas and lice — / and a horse making water beside my pillow

Interlinear notes 2

にカ

Perhaps 「みかけて」 should be read with 「に」.

一本なくトアリ

Another text has 「なく」.

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