Composed and presented at the maidenflower [poetry] competition at the Suzaku Palace.
たが秋にあらぬものゆゑをみなへしなぞ色にいでてまだきうつろふ
ta ga aki ni
aranu mono yuFe
wominaFesi
nazo iro ni idete
madaki uturoFu |
Alone for you Autumn
Has not come,
Maidenflowers,
So why do you colour
So swiftly, then fade? |
Tsurayuki
貫之
Composed and presented at the maidenflower [poetry] competition at the Suzaku Palace.
秋ならであふことかたきをみなへしあまのかはらにおひぬものゆゑ
aki narade
aFu koto kataki
wominaFesi
ama no kaFara ni
oFinu mono yuFe |
Outside of autumn
It’s impossible to meet
Maidenflowers,
Though heaven’s river meadows
Are not where they grow. |
Fujiwara no Sadakata
Composed and presented at the maidenflower [poetry] competition at the Suzaku Palace.
をみなへし秋のの風にうちなびき心ひとつをたれによすらむ
wominaFesi
aki no nokaze ni
utinabiki
kokoro Fitotu wo
tare ni yosuran |
The maidenflower,
With a breeze across the Autumn fields,
Waves back and forth;
Having but a single heart,
To whom does she incline, I wonder? |
The Minister of the Left [Fujiwara no Tokihira].
Topic unknown.
をみなへしおほかるのべにやどりせばあやなくあだの名をやたちなむ
wominaFesi
oFokaru nobe ni
yadoriseba
ayanaku ada no
na wo ya tatinan |
Maidenflowers
Fill this field-
Were I to lodge here,
Would I be called faithless
For no reason? |
Ono no Yoshiki
A poem from a poetry competition at Prince Koresada’s house.
秋ののにやどりはすべしをみなへし名をむつまじみたびならなくに
aki no no ni
yadori Fa subesi
wominaFesi
na wo mutumazimi
tabi naranaku ni |
In an autumn meadow
I would lodge with
The maidenflowers–
The name is so appealing-
Though I travel not. |
Fujiwara no Toshiyuki
Composed when seeing maidenflowers at Man Mountain when going to Nara to visit Archbishop Henjō.
女郎花うしと見つつぞゆきすぐるをとこ山にしたてりと思へば
wominaFesi
usi to mitutu zo
ikisuguru
otokoyama ni si
tateri to omoFeba |
Oh, maidenflowers,
How cruel to see you here
While passing by;
To think that you have
Stood upon Man Mountain… |
Furu no Imamichi
Topic unknown.
名にめでてをれるばかりぞ女郎花我おちにきと人にかたるな
na ni medete
oreru bakari zo
wominaFesi
ware otiniki to
Fito ni kataru na |
I love your name
And for that alone I’ve plucked you,
Maidenflower.
That I’ve fallen
Tell no one. |
Archibishop Henjō
僧正遍照
'Simply moving and elegant'