The Womë-no poem of Harima Fudoki and residual orality in ancient Japan

In modern English the pun as a form of word-play tends to be associated with wit and humour. It has long been recognized that Japanese literature of various genres abounds in the punning type of word-play, although it is not necessarily humorous. A typical example would be matsu ‘pine tree’ and matsu ‘to wait’, often neatly translated into English as ‘pine’ in both senses. This pun is so frequent in classical Japanese literature that the mere mention of a pine tree can connote yearning for or missing a loved one without further overt reference. The pun thus even creates a metonym.