沖つ白波

Japanese

Kanji in this term
沖	白	波
おき Grade: 4	しら Grade: 1	なみ Grade: 3
kun’yomi

Etymology

From Old Japanese: 沖(おき) (oki, “open sea”) + つ (tsu, archaic possessive particle) + 白波(しらなみ) (shiranami, “whitecaps, white-crested waves”). (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

Noun

沖(おき)つ白(しら)波(なみ) • (oki tsu shiranami) 

1. whitecaps of the offing
   • c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 15, poem 3597:
     , text here

     和多都美能(わたつみの)於伎津之良奈美(おきつしらなみ)多知久良思(たちくらし)安麻乎等女等母(あまをとめども)思麻我久流見由(しまがくるみゆ) [Man'yōgana]

     わたつみの沖(おき)つ白波(しらなみ)立(た)ち来(く)らし海人(あま)娘子(をとめ)ども島(しま)隠(がく)る見(み)ゆ [Modern spelling]

     watatsumi no oki tsu shiranami tachi-kurashi ama-otome domo shima-gakuru miyu

     The white waves of the great ocean seem to rise up. The fisher-girl[s' boats] appear to be island-hidden.

   • 1151, Shika Wakashū (book 10, poem 382; also Hyakunin Isshu, poem 76)

     わたの原(はら)漕(こ)ぎ出(い)でてみれば久方(ひさかた)の雲(くも)居(ゐ)にまがふ沖(おき)つ白波(しらなみ)

     wata no hara kogi-idete mireba hisakata no kumoi ni magō oki tsu shiranami

     As I row out into the wide-sea plain and look all around me―the white waves of the offing could be mistaken for clouds!

2. (poetry) a 序詞 (jokotoba), associated with the above meaning: (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?)
   1. 立田山 (Tatsuta-yama, “Mount Tatsuta”), pun on 立つ (tatsu, “to stand”)
      • 905, Kokin Wakashū (book 18, poem 994; also Ise Monogatari, episode 23; Yamato Monogatari, episode 149)

        風(かぜ)吹(ふ)けば沖(おき)つ白波(しらなみ)たつた山(やま)夜半(よは)にや君(きみ)がひとり越(こ)ゆらむ

        kaze fukeba oki tsu shiranami Tatsuta-yama yowa ni ya kimi ga hitori koyu ran

        as the howling winds keep white waves in the offing in the deep of night[,] is my lord crossing Tatsuta Mountain alone[?]

   2. 知らず (shirazu, “not knowing (about)”)
      • c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 11, poem 2435:
        , text here

        淡海(あふみの)々(うみ)奥(おきつ)白浪(しらなみ)雖不知(しらずとも)妹所(いもがり)云(といはば)七(なぬ)日(か)越来(こえこむ) [Man'yōgana]

        近(あふ)江(み)の海(うみ)沖(おき)つ白波(しらなみ)知(し)らずとも妹(いも)がりといはば七(なぬ)日越(かこ)え来(こ)む [Modern spelling]

        Ōmi-no-umi oki tsu shiranami shirazu tomo imogari to iwaba nanuka koe kon

        Even if I don't know (where you live), sounding like the white waves in the offing of the [Ōmi] sea, if you tell me (where) your house (is), (even if it would take me) seven days to cross (the hills), I will come!