# 価なき珠をいだきて知らざりしたとひおぼゆる日の本の人



## vampire5

Here I am again, this time I can give natives something to sink their teeth into.
This is a waka poem by Shigematsu Mitsuya (1872-1924) a Japanese literature scholar and it is written in classical Japanese which is something I'm not well-versed in yet.
The waka's subject is Genji Monogatari. The author of the essay I'm translating mantains that before Showa era Genji Monogatari was deliberately scorned and even purposely ignored. So did Mitsuya-sensei. Hence the meaning of the aforesaid waka poem.

価なき珠をいだきて知らざりしたとひおぼゆる日の本の人

The overall meaning is somewhat clear (being unaware to own something of great value)  but I'd like to have some detailed explanation if it would be possible. It would also be nice if someone could rephrase the same waka in modern japanese.
However I'll give it a try myself:

価なき＝価ない = without value ?
珠＝jewel or ball ? (this is referred to Genji Monogatari itself isn't it?)
いだきて＝抱いて= to embrace, to hold in the arms (this is figurative isn't it?)
知らざりした＝知らなかった = don't know (this is quite simple)
ひおぼゆる＝ ???  (I know the old spelling practice やう＝よう／かは＝かわ／さう＝そう but with ひおぼ I am at a loss, maybe ひょうぼ-ゆる??)
日の本の人＝This is quite puzzling, could it be a different spelling of 日本人 (Japanese people) or maybe the man of the book/root/foundation of the Sun ???

That is all. Thanks for your coming collaboration!


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## frequency

> 価なき＝価ない = without value ?


Yes valueless hence worthless?



> いだきて＝抱いて= to embrace, to hold in the arms (this is figurative isn't it?)
> 知らざりした＝知らなかった = don't know (this is quite simple)


Yes I agree with you. Figurative? Well, it would be clear after solving the meaning of this tanka wholly, I think.

珠＝jewel or ball ?
I think either is okay but jewel?
(this is referred to Genji Monogatari itself isn't it?)..U~m I'm looking forward to helpful advice.



> ひおぼゆる＝ ???
> 日の本の人＝This is quite puzzling


Yes I agree with you!
ひおぼゆる+日の本の人 or
ひおぼゆる日の＋本の人？
・・本の人はありえないか。
I'm sorry I'm not good at old Japanese very much


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## SoLaTiDoberman

「天下に比類のない優れた珠（源氏物語）を抱いていながら、その伝統的な良きものの価値をちっとも知らずにいる日本人は、あわれなものだ」という意味で、

http://angel-zaidan.org/genji_history/

*価なき珠をいだきて知らざりし*
*たとひおぼゆる日の本の人*

価なき　＝priceless
珠=源氏物語
をいだきて=holding, possessing 　
知らざ_りしたとひおぼゆる　I don't know how to analyze this part._
日の本の人=Japanese


知らざりし＋たとひ（たとい）＋おぼゆる　？？？　

”値段のつけられないほど価値の高い源氏物語を所有しているのにその価値がわかっていない、
（たとえ、源氏物語という古典のことを覚えていたとしても）わかっていない、日本人”　？？？


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## wind-sky-wind

知らざりし ＝ 知らなかった didn't know or have been unaware
"し" is the attribute form of 過去の助動詞 "き."
たとひおぼゆる is probably divided into "たとひ" and "おぼゆる."
"たとひ" is pronounced as "たとい" and the same as "たとえ."

Judging from "し" is the attribute form, "たとひ" is a noun meaning "past repeated examples."


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## YangMuye

価なき珠: 無価の真珠 invaluable pearl.  (珠 is often used to refer to precious things in Chinese canon)
抱きて: to hold/to have
知らざりし: 知らない (the modifying form of 知らざりき. It probably just means 分かっていない rather than 知らなかった. し is not always a past tense marker)
たとひ: 例え (analogy, example)
おぼゆる: 覚える (思える)
日の本の人: 日本人

I;m not sure about たとひおぼゆる part, but it probably means,

貴重なものを持っていても分かっていないように感じられる日本人


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## frequency

あ、そしたら valueless, worthless とは逆なのね(´･ω･｀)　Vampire, sorry that valueless and worthless are wrong: invaluable (extremely useful).


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## vampire5

Thanks everyone, I knew that would be difficult but eventually we'll get to the solution of the riddle.
If can be of any help I'll report the two sentences of the essay's author on the poem.

これは非常に貴重で値段をつけることができないくらい貴重な珠を持っているくせに、それを粗末にした中国の人がいたという、そういう譬え話が中国にあるのですね。
その譬え話のことは日本人知っているが、しかし、そのくせ価なき珠、値段のつけようがないくらい貴重な珠にも比すべき『源氏物語』を持っていながら、『源氏物語』の価値を知らないでいるのも日本人である、とまあ、そういったような意味ですね。

The first thing that stands out is apparently ths poem was inspired by a Chinese parable (YangMuye you was right!)
Only thing I'm puzzled about is this : 比すべき『源氏物語』を持っているながら what Genji Monogatari should be compared to ??


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## wind-sky-wind

Just written as "貴重な珠にも比すべき."
To "priceless jewel."


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## YangMuye

Is the author a native speaker? The sentences sound a bit strange to me.
～に比す可き means "comparable to ~", ～に比べられる


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## vampire5

Sorry, yes the essay's author is  丸谷 才一  (Maruya Saiichi).
The essay is called  昭和が発見したもの and is from the book 星のあいびき
I checked the phrase and it's okay.


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## wind-sky-wind

Just as written as "中国の人が*いた*という、そういう譬え話,"
"知らざりし" is the past tense and used about the Chinese who didn't know its true value.

And "貴重な珠にも比すべき『源氏物語』" means "Genji Monogatari, which is as valuable as the priceless jewel."
Yes, "比すべき" equals "匹敵する."

PS:
"たとひおぼゆる日の本の人" means "Japanese people learn/understand/know the parable."

Even though they know it, they don't appreciate "源氏物語."


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## vampire5

Thank you wind-sky-wind, the meaning is getting clearer and clearer.
About the 比すべき part, so in your opinion is the jewel which get compared to Genji Monogatari, isn't it??


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## YangMuye

たとえ譬え was repeated twice. 持っているながら should be 持っていながら.



wind-sky-wind said:


> "知らざりし" is the past tense and used about the Chinese who didn't know its true value.


That makes a lot of sense.

I just looked up おぼゆる in the dictionary and it says


> ③似る。似ている。
> 出典源氏物語　若紫「少しおぼえたるところあれば、子なめりと見給（たま）ふ」[訳] 少し似ているところがあるので、（尼君の）子であろうと（源氏は）ご覧になる。


I am not familiar with Classical Japanese, so I can't decide if it is this sense, but I think my translation 感じられる/思える should work as well.



vampire5 said:


> About the 比すべき part, so in your opinion is the jewel which get compared to Genji Monogatari, isn't it??


『源氏物語』 is comparable to 貴重な珠.

EDIT:
Didn't see your update.


wind-sky-wind said:


> "たとひおぼゆる日の本の人" means "Japanese people learn/understand/know the parable."


Hmm... That sounds right.... though I'm not sure if おぼゆる had that sense in Classical Japanese.
Perhaps 思い出される is better. If it were 似る, the と or に should not have been omitted.


> ②思い出される。思い起こされる。
> 出典源氏物語　少女
> 「昔おぼゆる花橘（はなたちばな）、撫子（なでしこ）、薔薇（さうび）くたになどやうの花くさぐさを植ゑて」[訳] 昔のことが思い起こされるたちばなの花、なでしこ、そうび、くたになどといった花をいろいろ植えて。



I think it becomes clear now. My new translation:
貴重な珠を持っていながら（その価値を）分からなかったというたとえ話が思い出される（＝を思い出させる）日本人
The Japanese, who make me think of the parable that one had a priceless jewel but did not realize its value


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## wind-sky-wind

I didn't think "たとひ" is "たとえ話," because that "たとえ" sounds modern.
Since he lived in the Meiji and Taisho Eras, what he wrote might be a mix of modern and classical.

PS:
Sorry, that "たとひ" or "たとへ" was used in the Classical Japanese.


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## YangMuye

wind-sky-wind said:


> I didn't think "たとひ" is "たとえ話," because that "たとえ" sounds modern.


喩 meaning “metaphor” is used in Classical Chinese.

For your information, Shigematsu Mitsuya might have been referring to this parable (also 買櫃還珠 and 買櫝還珠). It's a 見る目がない喩え


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## Flaminius

たとひ here means precedence.  The precedence in his mind was, needless to say, 和氏の璧.  Whether the story was real nor not is not an important matter here.

edit:
Okay, there seem to be other stories about people not understanding the value of a stone.  Any which way, おぼゆる is for the Japanese reminding one of those stories to the poet.


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## vampire5

Sorry guys but I'm losing my way. Let's sum up what we have up to now.
First what's the most literal translation of the poem
I'll give it a try:

価なき珠をいだきて知らざりしたとひおぼゆる日の本の人
(Even the man of the land of the rising sun doesn't recognize his most valuable treasure)
or
(Even among the people of the land of the rising sun there is a man who doesn't recognize their most valuable treasure)

Is this an acceptable translation especially of the part たとひおぼゆる??
Most important it seems to me that Mitsuya-sensei is referring to the jewel of the Japanese people, not to a Chinese parable.
The fact that the poem is based on an ancient Chinese parable is an additional information given by Maruya himself.


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## YangMuye

日ノ本 is just another way of saying 日本. The author used this term because it sounds literary and to fullfill the rhithmic requirement.

あたひなき
たまをいだきて
しらざりし
たとひおぼゆる
ひのもとのひと​
The first three lines is the story.
The forth line is structually parallel to 昔おぼゆる花橘(『源氏物語』[訳]昔のことが思い起こされるたちばなの花); it means “reminding (me) of the story”.
The first three lines modifies たとひ (the story, metophor, parabel, whatever)
The forth line in turn modifies the last line.

This is not a complete sentence, because it ends in a noun, but it is a extremely frequent figure of speech used in Japanese peom called 体言止め. The verb and object (哀れなものだ) is ommited in this sentence.

The literal translation is like this:

The people in Japan
who remind (me) of the allegory
that (a man) did not understand (its value)
despite having a jewel
that was priceless
(are pathetic.)​The translation is word by word and line by line in reverse order. I hope both the meanings of words and their grammatical relationship becomes clear to you.


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## vampire5

Thanks YangMuye you have been as invaluable as the Chinese fable's treasure.
At first I didn't get the meaning of たとひ = fable which I confused it with たとい = although,yet

Now everything's clear
Thank you very much!


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