憂うれう

nidan verb (upper class) with 'hu/fu' ending (archaic)

worry; be concerned

Archaic upper bigrade verb (ハ行上二段活用). In modern Japanese, this meaning is expressed by 憂える (うれえる) or 心配する. The form 憂う is mainly encountered in classical texts or fixed expressions like 憂うべき.

See also: 憂うべき (うれうべき)

• 古こ典てんでは「世よを憂うれふ」のように使つかわれた。

  In classical literature, it was used as in 'to worry about the world'.

• 「憂うれうべき事じ態たい」という表ひょう現げんにその古ふるい形かたちが残のこっている。

  The old form remains in the expression 'a situation that should be worried about'.

nidan verb (lower class) with 'hu/fu' ending (archaic)

grieve; lament; be anxious; be distressed

Archaic lower bigrade verb (ハ行下二段活用). This form is the classical equivalent of modern 憂える (うれえる) in its transitive sense of grieving or lamenting something. Found in classical poetry and prose.

See also: 憂える (うれえる)

• 憂うれふは、悲かなしみ嘆なげく意い味みでも使つかわれた。

  憂ふ was also used to mean grieving or lamenting.

• 国くにの将しょう来らいを憂うれう。

  I worry about the future of the country.