When the Ninna Emperor (Emperor Kōkō (830-887; r. 884-887)) was still a prince, there was a time he stayed at Henjō’s mother’s house on his way to view the waterfall at Furu, and the garden had been made to resemble an autumn meadow; Henjō recited this poem to him while they were talking.
里はあれて人はふりにし宿なれや庭もまがきも秋ののらなる
| sato Fa arete Fito Fa Furinisi yado nare ya niFa mo magaki mo aki no nora naru |
Is it the overgrown house And the aged owner Of this dwelling? The gardens and fences Have returned to Autumn fields. |
Archbishop Henjō
僧正遍照