よそにのみあはれとぞ見し梅の花
あかぬいろかはおりてなりけり
あかぬいろかはおりてなりけり
- Roma-ji
-
Yoso ni nomi aware to zo mishi ume no hana
akanu iroka wa orite narikeri - English Translation
-
Only from afar
had I felt their deep beauty—
these plum blossoms;
their color I never tire of
I knew only when I broke them off.
- Meaning
- I had felt the deep beauty of the plum blossoms only from afar; the color I never tire of I truly knew only when I broke them off.
- Commentary
-
Spring Songs, Book One
The poet delights in the color and fragrance of the plum blossoms, but from the expression of the latter lines, the image of a woman comes to mind.
It sings of the feeling that only by forming an intimate bond can one truly know how wonderful it is.
- Author
- Sosei Hoshi
- Source
- Kokin Wakashu
- Prev Poem
-
Uguisu no kasa ni nuu to iu ume no hana
orite kazasamu oi kakuru ya to - Next Poem
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Kimi narade tare ni ka misemu ume no hana
iro o mo ka o mo shiru hito zo shiru