Question on use of とかけて - ととく (wordplay?)


There is an enka song with the following stanza:

ひとり手じゃくの お酒 **とかけて**

橋の通わぬ 川 **ととく**

渡りきれない あなたの胸に

酔えば切なく なるばかり

咲くに咲けない 咲くに咲けない

あ～ 恋挽歌

I found the use of the particle と unusual so I tried to find why it was used
and it seems to be a wordplay device called nazokake
(<https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%AA%E3%81%9E%E3%81%8B%E3%81%91>). Can
someone explain if this is indeed the same device used in these lyrics and
what the wordplay is, if any. Thanks.




Yes, this ～とかけて～ととく is a traditional joke pattern known as 謎かけ. See: [Meaning
of sentence](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/24792/5010)

This unusual と is a variant of a quotative-と. See: [Function of と when used
with 続く](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/68125/5010)

* * *

In these lyrics, two phrases (ひとり手酌のお酒 = a bottle of sake in my hand; 橋の通わぬ川 =
a river that no bridge crosses) are presented in a riddle-like fashion,
followed immediately by its "answer". However, the standard translation of
"What do A and B have in common?" doesn't seem to be very useful in
interpreting this song. Instead, in this song, let's consider it as a clichéd
expression that vaguely hints at the relationship between the two phrases.

The "answer" part is:

> 渡りきれない あなたの胸に 酔えば切なくなるばかり

Here, 渡りきれない ("uncrossable") is clearly related to the river, and also can be
understood as a metaphor for "your heart being unreachable".

All in all, the song is basically saying "While drinking sake alone, I realize
how unreachable your heart is, like a river with no bridge, and this only
deepens my sorrow", but in a tricky nazokake-ish fashion.




Yes, this ～とかけて～ととく is a traditional joke pattern known as 謎かけ. See: [Meaning
of sentence](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/24792/5010)

This unusual と is a variant of a quotative-と. See: [Function of と when used
with 続く](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/68125/5010)

* * *

In these lyrics, two phrases (ひとり手酌のお酒 = a bottle of sake in my hand; 橋の通わぬ川 =
a river that no bridge crosses) are presented in a riddle-like fashion,
followed immediately by its "answer". However, the standard translation of
"What do A and B have in common?" doesn't seem to be very useful in
interpreting this song. Instead, in this song, let's consider it as a clichéd
expression that vaguely hints at the relationship between the two phrases.

The "answer" part is:

> 渡りきれない あなたの胸に 酔えば切なくなるばかり

Here, 渡りきれない ("uncrossable") is clearly related to the river, and also can be
understood as a metaphor for "your heart being unreachable".

All in all, the song is basically saying "While drinking sake alone, I realize
how unreachable your heart is, like a river with no bridge, and this only
deepens my sorrow", but in a tricky nazokake-ish fashion.

