First Snow 初雪
めもはるに花かとぞみるしもがれの草木もわかずふれる初皆
me mo haru ni hana ka to zo miru shimogare no kusaki mo wakazu fureru hatsuyuki Before my eyes, do spring In bloom I see? Frost-burned Trees and grasses both, I cannot tell Beneath the first snow fallen.
Daishin
Composed when he had gone to a temple in the mountains.
宿りして春の山辺にねたる夜は夢の内にも花ぞちりける
yadori site Faru no yamabe ni netaru yo Fa yume no uti ni mo Fana zo tirikeru Lodging here Upon a mountainside in springtime, Sleeping at night Even my dreams are full Of scattered blossom.
Tsurayuki
A poem from a poetry competition held by Her Majesty, the Empress, during the Kanpyō period.
春の野に若菜つまむと来し物をちりかふ花に道はまどひぬ
Faru no no ni wakana tumamu to koshi mono wo tirikaFu Fana ni miti Fa madoFinu To the meadows in springtime Thinking to pick fresh herbs Did I come, but Amongst the scattered blossom Have I lost my way.
Tsurayuki
Topic unknown.
春ごとに花の盛りはありなめどあひ見む事はいのちなりけり
Faru gotot ni Fana no sakari Fa arinamedo aFimimu koto Fa inoti narikeri In every springtime are there Blossoms in profusion, No doubt, and yet Whether I will see them more Hangs upon my lifeline.
Anonymous
When he had gone to the northern hills to view the blossom, he sent this to the residence of the Un’rin-in Prince.[1]
いざけふは春の山辺にまじりなむ暮れなばなげの花の影かは
iza keFu Fa Faru no yamabe ni mazirinamu kurenaba nage no Fana no kage ka Fa So, on this day Into the springtime mountains Let us tread! For even should dusk fall, brief Would the blossoms glow be? Surely not!
Sosei
[1] Imperial Prince Tsuneyasu 常康親王 (?-869), the seventh son of Emperor Ninmyō.
Composed as a Spring poem.
三輪山をしかも隠すか春霞人に知られぬはなやさくらむ
miwayama wo sikamo kakusu ka Farugasumi Fito ni sirarenu Fana ya sakuramu Miwa Mountain Will you thus conceal, O, haze of spring? Might, unknown to all, Blossoms be blooming there?
Tsurayuki
Topic unknown.
春の色のいたりいたらぬ里はあらじさけるさかざる花の見ゆらん
Faru no iro no itari itaranu sato Fa arazi sakeru sakazaru Fana no miyuran The hues of spring Spread on, and fail to reach No spots at all, so why do Some bloom, and some bloom not? These blossoms – or so it seems…
Anonymous
Composed on the scattering of cherry blossoms, while in the guard post for the Crown Prince’s Palace.
春風は花のあたりをよきてふけ心づからやうつろふとみむ
Farukaze Fa Fana no atari wo yokite Fuke kokorodukara ya uturoFu to mimu O, winds of Spring, While the blossoms bloom Refrain from blowing! Does their own heartbreak Fade them I would wonder.
Fujiwara no Yoshikaze
At a time when she was unwell and suffering, thinking that it might caused by the wind, she kept the shutters closed; at this time she saw how some cherry blossom, which had been picked and put in a vase, scattered, and composed:
たれこめてはるのゆくゑも知らぬまにまちし桜もうつろひにけり
tare komete Faru no yukewe mo siranu ma ni matisi sakura mo utsuroFinikeri While closed in and Of the progress of spring All knowing, These long-awaited cherries, too, Have faded.
Fujiwara no Yoruka
Composed on seeing cherry blossom scattering at the Un’rin-in.
さくらちる花の所は春ながら雪ぞふりつつ消えがてにする
sakura tiru Fana no tokoro Fa Faru nagara yuki zo Furitutu kiegate ni suru Cherries scatter Blossoms here, For it is spring, but Snow still ever falls, and Hesitates to fade, it does appear.
The Monk Sōku
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