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Dhammapada · narration sample

A one-minute narration sample. Every book in the library is narrated end to end — hear the rest in the app.

A Hundred Verses from Old Japan · 39 of 101

38. Ukon

38

UKON

Wasuraruru Mi woba omowazu Chikahite-shi Hito no inochi no Oshiku mo aru kana.

MY broken heart I don’t lament, To destiny I bow; But thou hast broken solemn oaths,— I pray the Gods may now Absolve thee from thy vow.

The Lady Ukon is supposed to have been deserted by her husband, and in this poem she regrets, not so much her own sorrow, as the fact that he has broken his sworn oath, and is therefore in danger of divine vengeance. The illustration shows her all alone at the gate, with the house in the background, evidently waiting for the husband who has forsaken her.