Tag Archives: folk

Hon’in sadaijin-ke uta’awase 04

Maidenflowers

Left

なびくとや人はみるらんをみなへしおもふかたにぞかぜもふきける

nabiku to ya
hito wa miruran
ominaeshi
omou kata ni zo
kaze mo fukikeru
‘Are they trailing?’
Folk wonder at the sight of
The maidenflowers, and
As they thought
The wind, too, was blowing…

7

Right

おほかたののべなるよりはをみなへしねやのつまにてみるはまされり

ōkata no
nobe naru yori wa
ominaeshi
neya no tsuma nite
miru wa masareri
So wide are
The plains, but I’d rather
A maidenflower—
My wife in the bedchamber:
Seeing her is better far!

8

MYS V: 839

波流能努尓 紀理多知和多利 布流由岐得 比得能美流麻提 烏梅能波奈知流

春の野に霧立ちわたり降る雪と人の見るまで梅の花散る

paru no no ni
kiri tatiwatari
puru yuki to
pito no miru made
ume no pana tiru
In the springtime meadows
Filled with spreading mist,
As falling snow
To folk’s eyes appears
The scattering plum blossom.

Denshi no Makami, Clerk of Chikuzen
筑前目田氏真上

Teishi-in ominaeshi uta’awase 24

をみなへしなどかあきしもにほふらむはなのこころをひともしれとか

ominaeshi
nadoka aki shimo ni
niouramu
hana no kokoro o
hito mo shire to ka
O, maidenflower,
Why is it that, of all, in autumn
You would glow so bright?
Of a fickle flower’s heart
Folk to inform, perhaps…

47

てをとらばひとやとがめむをみなへしにほへるのべにやどやからまし

te o toraba
hito ya togamemu
ominaeshi
nioeru nobe ni
yado ya karamashi
Should I put my hands on you,
By folk would I be despised,
O, maidenflower, so
In the meadow where you shine
Would I borrow lodging…

48

Teishi-in ominaeshi uta’awase 22

ありへてもくちしはてねばをみなへしひとさかりゆくあきもありけり

arietemo
kuchishihateneba
ominaeshi
hito sakariyuku
aki mo arikeri
Long has she lingered there, yet
Has not begun to wither, but
The maidenflower
Has folk pass her by, too,
When autumn comes.

43

おほよそになべてをらるなをみなへしのちうきものぞひとのこころは

ōyoso ni
nabete oraru na
ominaeshi
nochi uki mono zo
hito no kokoro wa
Perfunctorily,
Carelessly, aren’t you plucked,
O, maidenflower,
And then a cruel thing, indeed,
Is a man’s heart…

44

Teishi-in ominaeshi uta’awase 15

These are poems which His Majesty had everyone in attendance compose on the day.

わがやどをみなへしひとのすぎゆかばあきのくさばはしぐれざらまし

wa ga yado o
mina heshi hito no
sugiyukaba
aki no kusaba wa
shigurezaramashi
Should my house
By all the passing folk
Be passed by, then
Would not the autumn grasses
Scatter showers?

Minamoto no Tsuruna
29

をしめどもえだにとまらぬもみぢばをみなへしおきてあきののちみむ

oshimedomo
eda ni tomaranu
momijiba o
mina heshi okite
aki no nochi mimu
I regret it, yet
On the branches have not lingered
Scarlet leaves—
I will press them, every one,
To gaze on after autumn’s passing.

Muneyuki
30

Izumi shikibu-shū 193

On plucking the zither, playing the flute, and enjoying herself somewhere.

聞く人のみみさへさむく秋風に吹きあはせたる笛のこゑかな

kiku hito no
mimi sae samuku
akikaze ni
fukiawasetaru
fue no koe kana
The folk listening
Have even had their ear chilled
By the autumn breeze
Blowing to them together with
The flute’s notes!

Izumi Shikibu (?-976?)
和泉式部

GSIS II: 145

Composed on seeing scattered cherry blossoms floating on the stream at his house.

ここにこぬ人もみよとてさくらばな水の心にまかせてぞやる

koko ni konu
Fito mo miyo tote
sakurabana
midu no kokoro ni
makasete zo yaru
To folk who fail to come
Here, I’d say, ‘Behold!’
O, cherry blossoms,
The water’s heart
I’ll trust, to send you on your way.

Ōe no Yoshitoki