Ōmi no miyasudokoro uta’awase 06

Taiwan Cherry

あづさゆみ春の山べにけぶりたちもゆともみえぬひざくらのはな

azusayumi
haru no yamabe ni
keburi tachi
moyu tomo mienu
hizakura no hana
A catalpa bow:
From the mountainside in springtime
Smoke rising—
Doesn’t it appear to be burning with
Fiery cherry blossoms.

6[i]

The Japanese name for this breed of cherry is hizakura (‘fire cherry’)—hence the imagery used in the poem.


[i] This poem is included in Kokin rokujō (4234), attributed to Ōchikōchi no Mitsune with the headnote ‘Taiwan Cherry’.

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