Pear Blossom
春立てばいづこともなしのはなりぬわかなつむべくなりぞしにける
haru tateba
izuko tomo nashi
no hanarinu
wakana tsumubeku
nari zo shininkeru | When the springtime comes,
There’s nowhere that’s
Not far away, for
I should pick fresh herbs—
That’s what I’ve decided! |
8
This poem is an acrostic, with ‘pear blossom’ (nashi no hana) contained within nashi no hanarinu.
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’.
真砂ちる吹上の浜のあかぬ色を都の春とおもはましかは
masago chiru
fugiage no hama no
akanu iro o
miyako no haru to
omowamashi ka wa | Fair sands scatter
Blown up the beach at Fukiage,
Whose hues can never sate—
The capital in springtime
Do I wish that they would be? |
168
おきつ風夕波たかく吹上の浜ぢやすらふ春の舟人
oki tsu kaze
yūnami takaku
fukiage no
hamaji yasurau
haru no funabito | In the breeze from the offing
High, indeed, the evening waves
Blown up Fukiage,
Quiet on the paths across the shore
Are the boatmen in springtime. |
167
春なれば花とさきちる白波の吹上の浜のおきつ塩風
haru nareba
hana to sakichiru
shiranami no
fukiage no hama no
oki tsu shiokaze | When ‘tis spring
Blossoms bloom and scatter,
Whitecaps
Blown up Fukiage beach
By the tidewind from the offing. |
165
これも又花かあらぬか浦風の吹上にたてる春の白雲
kore mo mata
hana ka aranu ka
urakaze no
fukiage ni tateru
haru no shirakumo | These, too, again
Are they blossom or are they not?
In the breeze from off the bay
Blowing up Fukiage arise
White clouds in springtime. |
162
春のよのためしもしるし紀の国や吹上の波にかすむ月かげ
haru no yo no
tameshi mo shirushi
ki no kuni ya
fukiage no hama ni
kasumu tsukikage | A spring night’s
Exemplar and sign:
In the land of Ki,
Fukiage beach in
The hazy moonlight. |
161
雲のゐるよし野のたけに降る雪のつもりつもりて春に会ひにけり
kumo no iru
yoshino no take ni
furu yuki no
tsumoritsumorite
haru ni ainikeri | Upon the cloud-capped
Peak of Yoshino
The fallen snow
Does drift and drift, but
At long last meets the springtime. |
479
Bird cherry
ふかれくるかには桜ぞそひてくる春をおくれるにほひなるべし
fukarekuru
ka ni wa sakura zo
soitekuru
haru o okureru
nioi narubeshi | Blown to me is
The fragrance of cherry
Overlayed upon
Spring’s lingering
Glow it must be! |
4
Blossoming Cherry
はなざくらちる山川は春もなほともまちがほの雪かとぞみる
hanazakura
chiru yamakawa wa
haru mo nao
tomomachigao no
yuki ka to zo miru | Blossoming cherry
Scatters ‘pon the mountain stream—as
Spring yet
Eagerly awaited friendly
Snow, does it appear, perhaps? |
3
'Simply moving and elegant'
