Tuesday, August 16
Previous senryu
- 友の数あの世の方が多くなり
とものかず・あのよのほうが・おおくなり
more of my friends / are in the next world / than this one now
Notes:
- @pm215 ’s 4-5-4 translation and commentary (below) explain it very well.
- This is a ‘being old’ complaint – all the speaker’s friends seem to be gradually dying, so it’s getting to the point where more of them are in the next world than this one.
Current senryu challenge
Volume: Husbands
- 結婚前キミと来たねが墓穴堀り
This one could be a bit challenging, particularly the ねが bit…
Hints:
- 墓穴を掘る is an idiomatic expression.
- Could ねが have something to do with 願う? Or, (as DeepL says) is it an Okinawan funerary custom? Or, are they two words: 来たね + が (if so, first time I’m encountering it)?
NOTE: Deadline for submissions for this senryu is 48 hours, since it seems challenging.
Remember to please use the spoiler tag with your translation attempts! Also, please include the reading in kana with your submission.
Everyone is encouraged to participate, no matter your level! Questions and comments are as valued as translation submissions.
Please try not to be disappointed if your translation isn’t selected or if you disagree with the daily choice: the judge isn’t terribly consistent with his grading (and has awful taste!).
Online tools like dictionaries, sentence databases, and even AI translation engines are fair game and can be extremely helpful. Yomichan is particularly handy if you use the Chrome or Firefox browser. The 語源由来辞典 is also an excellent resource for researching the etymology of various words and expressions.
Here are the links to the 356 Japanese originals (spoiler free) and to the the spreadsheet with all the upcoming senryu as well as the translations to date.