A poem from the Poetry Contest held by the Dowager Empress during the Reign of the Kanpyō Emperor.
かりそめの世やたのまれぬ夏の日をなどうつせみのなきくらしつる
| karisome no yo ya tanomarenu natsu no hi o nado utsusemi no nakikurashitsuru | Is this transient World untrustworthy? On a summer day Why does the cicada, an empty shell, Cry the day away? |
Anonymous
Composed on the conception of changing into summer clothes, when a Hundred Poem Sequence was presented to His Majesty, Emperor Horikawa.
けふかふるせみの羽ごろもきてみればたもとに夏はたつにぞ有りける
| kyō kauru semi no hagoromo kitemireba tamoto ni natsu wa tatsu ni zo arikeru | With the change today, A robe of cicada wings I do put on and see Upon my sleeves that summer Has, indeed, arrived! |
Fujiwara no Mototoshi