KKS 45: Difference between revisions
Created page with "Previous poem | Next poem == Text == 家にありける梅の花の散りけるをよめる Read on the fallen plum blossoms at his house 貫之 Ki no Tsurayuki くるとあくとめかれぬ物を梅花いつの人まにうつろひぬらん {{PoemPair |orig= <poem> kuru to aku to mekare-nu mono wo mume no hana itsu no hitoma ni utsuroi-nu-ran </poem> |trans= <poem> Though morning and night I never took my eyes off t..." |
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== Notes == | == Notes == | ||
;Fade and scatter | |||
:The verb ''utsurou'' can refer to changing color (of leaves or flowers), but also the falling petals or leaves. There is a great deal of commentary on exactly which use is intended here – obviously the prose preface indicates the flowers have already fallen, but the poem may focus more on the fading color. Katagiri thinks that the word refers to the entire process of fading and scattering, and that it's a mistake to try to pinpoint which of the two definitions is emphasized (or meant) here. I followed this opinion in the translation. | |||
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== Analysis == | == Analysis == | ||
The next 4 poems are on the falling plum blossoms, transitioning from the previous poem which seemed to only suggest their scattering. There is a feeling of regret and lamenting, even if no explicit feeling words are used. | |||
Tsurayuki's poem is particularly appropriate with the prose preface. Since the plum blossoms are in his own house, he feigns a kind of ownership over them that would allow him to post guards (or watch them himself) to stop them from scattering. The poem personifies the plum blossoms as stealthily sneaking away when the guards' backs are turned. It may also be possible to interpret this with a slight love subtext, that one's beloved has disappeared with just a moment's inattention. | |||
[[KKS 44|Previous poem]] | [[KKS 46|Next poem]] | [[KKS 44|Previous poem]] | [[KKS 46|Next poem]] | ||
[[Category:Spring]] | [[Category:Spring]] | ||
[[Category:Plums]] | |||
Latest revision as of 14:47, 17 June 2026
Text
家にありける梅の花の散りけるをよめる
Read on the fallen plum blossoms at his house
貫之
くるとあくとめかれぬ物を梅花いつの人まにうつろひぬらん
|
kuru to aku to |
Though morning and night |
Notes
- Fade and scatter
- The verb utsurou can refer to changing color (of leaves or flowers), but also the falling petals or leaves. There is a great deal of commentary on exactly which use is intended here – obviously the prose preface indicates the flowers have already fallen, but the poem may focus more on the fading color. Katagiri thinks that the word refers to the entire process of fading and scattering, and that it's a mistake to try to pinpoint which of the two definitions is emphasized (or meant) here. I followed this opinion in the translation.
Other sources:
Analysis
The next 4 poems are on the falling plum blossoms, transitioning from the previous poem which seemed to only suggest their scattering. There is a feeling of regret and lamenting, even if no explicit feeling words are used.
Tsurayuki's poem is particularly appropriate with the prose preface. Since the plum blossoms are in his own house, he feigns a kind of ownership over them that would allow him to post guards (or watch them himself) to stop them from scattering. The poem personifies the plum blossoms as stealthily sneaking away when the guards' backs are turned. It may also be possible to interpret this with a slight love subtext, that one's beloved has disappeared with just a moment's inattention.
