Hyakunin Isshu, Poem 71
Translation and comments by Ad Blankestijn
(version September 2022)
when evening falls,
through rice plants before the gate,
it comes whistling,
and then blows into my rush-hut:
the autumn breeze
yu sareba
kadota no inaba
otozurete
ashi no maroya ni
akikaze zo fuku
夕されば
門田の稲葉
おとづれて
あしのまろやに
秋風ぞふく
Minamoto no Tsunenobu 源経信 (1016–1097)
Despite its natural feeling, the above poem was composed on a set topic ("country house and autumn wind") during a poetry contest - which however really took place in the mountain villa of one of the participants. As Mostow says, the poem was appreciated as an early example of the descriptive landscape poetry that emerged around this time. This was a highly prized poem that makes readers feel the loneliness of autumn with all their senses - first the poet sees and hears the wind, and next he feels it on his skin.
Notes
- sareba: "saru" indicates movement, so "when evening comes", "when it becomes evening"
- kadota no inaba: "kadota" is a rice field lying before the gate of the house.
- otozurete: "otozuru" originally means "to make a sound." Here its has the double meaning of "oto wo tatete otozurete kuru," describing how the wind whistles through the leaves of the rice plants before reaching the hermitage.
- ashi no maroya: a temporary house built of crude reeds
- zo: intensifier.
The Poet
The courtier and official ("Major Counselor") Minamoto no Tsunenobu (1016 - 1097) excelled in poetry and music, and was also versed in courtly etiquette. In versatility, he was compared to Fujiwara no Kinto. Although he had a very successful career, at age 82 he ended up in banishment in Dazaifu. Tsunenobu participated in many poetry contests and was regarded as one of the best poets of his time. 86 poems have been included in the Go-Shuishu and other imperial collections. His personal collection is extant, as is a diary. Tsunenobu was the father of Toshiyori (poem 74).
References: Pictures of the Heart, The Hyakunin Isshu in Word and Image by Joshua S. Mostow (University of Hawai'i Press, 1996); One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each, by Peter MacMIllan (Penguin Classics); Traditional Japanese Poetry, An Anthology, by Steven D. Carter (Stanford University Press, 1991); Hyakunin Isshu by Inoue Muneo, etc. (Shinchosha, 1990); Genshoku Hyakunin Isshu by Suzuki Hideo, etc. (Buneido, 1997); Chishiki Zero kara no Hyakunin Isshu, by Ariyoshi Tamotsu (Gentosha); Hyakunin Isshu Kaibo Zukan, by Tani Tomoko (X-Knowledge); Ogura Hyakunin Isshu at Japanese Text Initiative (University of Virginia Library Etext Center); Hyakunin Isshu wo aruku by Shimaoka Shin (Kofusha Shuppan); Hyakunin Isshu, Ocho waka kara chusei waka e by Inoue Muneo (Chikuma Shoin, 2004); Basho's Haiku (2 vols) by Toshiharu Oseko (Maruzen, 1990); The Ise Stories by Joshua S. Mostow and Royall Tyler (University of Hawai'i Press, 2010); Kokin Wakashu, The First Imperial Anthology of Japanese Poetry by Helen Craig McCullough (Stanford University Press, 1985); Kokinshu, A Collection of Poems Ancient and Modern by Laurel Rasplica Rodd and Mary Catherine Henkenius (University of Tokyo Press, 1984); Kokin Wakashu (Shogakkan, 1994); Shinkokin Wakashu (Shogakkan, 1995); Taketori Monogatari-Ise Monogatari-Yamato Monogatari-Heichu Monogatari (Shogakkan, 1994).
Photo: Wikipedia
Hyakunin Isshu Index