Translation Topic unknown Mount Yoshino— The snow is falling On beautiful Yoshino, Where the springtime Haze is far away. Commentary The poem works well as a literal interpretation of a beautiful snowfall on Mount Yoshino in spring while the humid mists are rising elsewhere. Because …
Read MoreKi no Tsurayuki, “Spring wind begins today” (Kokinshu #2)
Translation Composed on the First Day of Spring Spring wind Begins today: The frozen water melts, I cup my hands And wet my sleeves. Commentary Derived from a passage in the Book of Rites, one of the five Confucian classics, “In spring’s first month, an …
Read MoreAriwara no Motokata’s “Spring has begun” (Kokinshu #1)
Composed on the first day of spring, which came within the old year. Translation By Ariwara no Motokata Spring has begun Within the year— It’s all one year, but Shall we call it “last year” Or “this year?” Japanese Pronunciation 在原元方 Ariwara no Motokata としのうちに Toshi …
Read MoreA tanka from Kokinshu, “You kindle my heart”
In this promises, a woman promises to lover her partner until the waves overrun Mount Suenomatsu, a mountain in northern part of the main island in Japan. Suenomatsu is the name of a mountain, but “Sue no” means “to the end” and “pine” is a …
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