Orange blossom at an ancient estate.
いにしへをしのぶとなしにふる里のゆふべの雨ににほふたち花
inishie o shinobu to nashi ni furusato no yūbe no ame ni niou tachibana Bygone days I do not recall, but At an ancient estate In the evening rain Comes the scent of orange blossom.[i]
[i] This poem functions as a reply to: Topic unknown. さつきまつ花橘のかをかげば昔の人の袖のかぞする satsuki matsu / hana tachibana no / ka o kageba / mukashi no hito no / sode no ka zo suru ‘Awaiting the Fifth Month / The orange blossoms’ / Scent fills the air, and / Folk from long ago / With their perfumed sleeves come back to me.’ Anonymous (KKS III: 139 ).
The moon over an ancient estate in spring.
ふる郷はみしごともあらずあれにけり影ぞむかしのはるのよの月
furusato wa mishi goto mo arazu arenikeri kage zo mukashi no haru no yo no tsuki This ancient estate Is not as I remember, Lying all in ruins, but The light is as of old from The moon this springtime night.
Created with Soan.
Blossom at an ancient estate.
たづねてもたれにかとはんふる郷の花もむかしのあるじならねど
tazunetemo tare ni ka towan furusato no hana mo mukashi no aruji naranedo Should I pay a visit there, Of whom might I enquire? For this ancient estate’s Blossom, in days gone by Did have have a master—long gone now, yet…
Created with Soan.
On a folding screen for the Kamo Virgin, for the place showing people going along a mountain path.
ちりちらずきかまほしきをふるさとの花見て帰る人もあはなん
tiritirazu kikamaFosiki wo Furusato no Fana mitekaFeru Fito mo aFanan Are they scattered, or not, is What I would ask, but The ancient estate’s Blossom having seen and returned– Those folk I would have you meet.
Ise
Plum blossom at an ancient estate.
たれにかもむかしをとはむ故郷の軒ばの梅は春をこそしれ
tare ni kamo mukashi o towamu furusato no nokiba no ume wa haru o koso shire Who is it that Of days long gone I might enquire? At this ancient estate The plum beneath the eaves Knows spring well, yet…
Image created with Adobe Firefly.
Created with Soan .
Plum blossom at an ancient estate.
ふる郷にたれしのべとか梅のはなむかしわすれぬかににほふらん
furusato ni tare shinobedo ka ume no hana mukashi wasurenu ka ni niouran At this ancient estate Who is it I recall? The plum blossom Unforgettable days gone by With fragrance seems to bring to life.
Image created with Adobe Firefly.
Created with Soan .
Left (Tie)
ふるさとにかすみとびわけゆくかりはたびのそらにやはるをすぐらむ
furusato ni kasumi tobiwake yuku kari wa tabi no sora ni ya haru o suguramu Above an ancient estate Flying through the parting haze Go the geese: In the skies they journey through, I wonder, will they pass the springtime?
Mitsune
19
Right
ちるはなをぬきしとめねばあをやぎのいとはよるともかひやなからむ
chiru hana o nukishi tomeneba aoyagi no ito wa yoru tomo kai ya nakaramu The scattered blossom Has been pierced, but not stayed, so, The green willow’s Threaded fronds are spun together, yet It useless seems…
20
‘“Sewn but not halted”—it really does seem so.’
The Beginning of Summer
Left
ふるさとはこだかけれどもきみならぬほととぎすにもうとまれにけり
furusato wa kodakakeredomo kimi naranu hototogisu ni mo utomarenikeri Around this ancient estate The trees grow high, yet Not by you alone, By the cuckoo, too Am I despised.
Tadamine 7
Right (Win)
やまがつのかきほにさけるうのはなはたがしろたへのころもかけしぞ
yamagatsu no kakiho ni sakeru u no hana wa ta ga shirotae no koromo kakeshi zo Along the mountain man’s Lattice fence bloom Deutzia: Whose white mulberry Robes are hung there?
Mitsune 8
Composed on cuckoos.
ふるさとはこだかけれどもきみならぬほととぎすにもうとまれにけり
Furusato Fa kodakeredomo kimi naranu Fototogisu ni mo utomarenikeri Around this ancient estate The trees grow high, yet Not by you alone, By the cuckoo, to Am I despised.
Mibu no Tadamine
Summer Grasses (夏草)
ふる里のしづけき庭はなつ草の所えがほにしげるなりけり
furusato no shizukeki niwa ni natsu kusa no tokoroegao ni shigeru narikeri In the ancient estate’s Quiet garden The summer grasses, So self-satisfied, Have grown thickly.
Daishin
'Simply moving and elegant'