Hyakunin Isshu, Poem 73
Translation and comments by Ad Blankestijn
(version September 2022)
the cherries on the peak
of the high mountain
are all in bloom now -
may the mists in the foothills
not arise to hide them
takasago no
onoe no sakura
saki ni keri
toyama no kasumi
tatazu mo aranamu
高砂の
尾の上の桜
咲きにけり
外山の霞
たたずもあらなむ
Oe no Masafusa 大江匡房 (1041-1111)
A straightforward poem. The headnote informs us that it was composed on the sentiment of gazing at mountain cherries far away, when a group of people were drinking and composing poetry at the house of the Palace Minister (Fujiwara no Moromichi). The author asks the mists of the lower hills not to rise and obscure the view of the cherries blooming on the high peaks, probably so that his friends and colleagues at the party can also see them. This would then be the same idea as in poem 26 by Fujiwara no Tadahira, who asks the maples of Mt Ogura to remain for a while so that the emperor may also come and enjoy them.
Notes
- takasago: "sand hills piled high," and therefore simply a noun for "high mountain." Some commentators have it refer to Takasago Mountain in Harima (western Hyogo), but that is not necessary.
- onoe: "high ridge, mountain peak"
- sakinikeri: "ni" indicates completion. "keri" acts as an exclamation mark
- toyama: foothills
- tatazu mo aranamu: "mo" is an intensifier. "namu" indicates a wish, "-shite hoshii."
The Poet
Oe no Masafusa (1041-1111) was a famed poet and Confucian scholar under the emperors Shirakawa, Horikawa, and Toba. Masafusa is known by his title of Gon-Chunagon, "Acting Middle Counselor". He was a confidant of the Cloistered Emperor Horikawa and took part in such poetry contests as the Horikawa Hyakushu. He was also famous as a poet of Sinitic verse. Masafusa was the author of several books, including a collection of anecdotes, as well as a work on ceremonial and public functions, which still is a valuable source of historical information. A collection of his poetry is extant. He has 119 poems in the Go-Shuishu and later imperial collections. Masafusa was the great-grandson of Akazome Emon (poem 59).
Goshuishu (Goshui Wakashu)
Poems included in Hyakunin Isshu: 42, 50, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 62, 63, 65, 68, 69, 70, 73 (total 14)
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: own work (mountain cherries on Arashiyama in western Kyoto)
Hyakunin Isshu Index