White Monkey 白猿

by ÅŒtomo-no Tabito (665-731)
from the 8th Century Mañ-You-Shuu,
"Ten Thousand Leaves Book":

Ouch !! how ugly
Kenryô is to me --
he drinks no sakè
a wild duck like a monkey
raw sakè that needs refining.


[白猿]

Manyoushuu 03-0344:
痛醜 / 賢良乎為跡 / 酒不飲 / 人乎熟見者 / 猿二鴨似

あなみにく / さかしらをすと / さけのまぬ /
ひとをよくみば / さるにかもにむ

Shiròzaru: [z=dz/u=ü]

ana miniku
saka-shira* wo su to
sake fu-nomu [noma-nu]
hito wo yoku mi-sha [-ba?]
saru ni kamo niru [-mu?]

* In kanji it reads "kenryou" - a name.
in hirágana it reads "saká-shira" > "sakè + white (shira/shiroï)"
and "sakè + shira (shirú = know; realize)".
["sakè-wit"/ "sakè-weet" >> "sakè-white"/ "sakè-wit"]

In Chinese 猴 hóu besides "monkey" also means:
"clever or smart chap" and "intelligent man", so . . .

Saká-shira > (raw) White Sakè as a nickname +
wild duck, a free spirit, resembling a monkey, a smart chap !!

--> White Sakè Monkey -->
an intelligent, virtuous monkey raw not yet refined !!


NB: Waka in romaji twice in verse 1 and 4 "fu" in stead of "mi"
and in romaji once in verse 3 a "me" in stead of "nu".
In verse 4 last syllable it says ば ba in hirágana and romaji,
but in kanji it says 者 sha (someone; person).
And in verse 5 last syllable it says む mu in hirágana and romaji,
but in kanji it says ä¼¼ ni-ru, so no kanji for mu = will/intend-to.
Source waka in Japanese:
www.geocities.jp/hgonzaemon/manyoushuu.txt

"Ouch !! ugly
Kenryô (acc.) do/think-of-as (quote)
drinks no sakè
one (acc.) a maturing seer
wild-duck looks-like monkey"

ana > ç—› ita/tsuu = ouch!!/pain

賢 ken/kashikoï = intelligent; wise; wisdom; cleverness; virtue (Archaism).
良 ryou/yoï = good; pleasing; skilled
賢良 also kanji for names: Katanaga/Kenryou/Takayoshi.

為 suru = do; make;
5. to judge as being; to view as being; to think of as; to treat as; to use as.

yoku > 熟 juku/ureru = mellow; ripen; mature; acquire skill.

猿 sáru = monkey; ape.

wo 乎 = question mark: ? > ka; â; kana; ya; yo; wo.
to è·¡ (a-)to ("trace, &c.") > signifies a quote or sound imitation (&c.)
ni 二 (> "two")

Many thanks to: http://tangorin.com/