On a moonlit night,
I could not tell which was which—
plum blossoms,
so by seeking out their scent,
I came to know the way.
- Meaning
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On a moonlit night, all was washed in white light and I could not tell which were the plum blossoms, so by seeking out their scent I knew which were the plum blossoms.
- Commentary
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Spring Songs, Book One
When asked on a moonlit night, “Please break off a branch of plum blossoms,” this poem was composed as the branch was broken off and handed over.
This poem does not describe an actual scene that white plum blossoms are hard to distinguish by moonlight, but rather sings of a fanciful notion.
- Author
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Oshikochi no Mitsune
- Source
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Kokin Wakashu
- Other
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To whom but you
should I show these plum blossoms—
their color and scent;
one who knows both the color and scent
is the one who knows them.
-
In spring, when
plum blossoms give forth their scent,
Mount Kurabu—
though I crossed it in the dark of night,
clearly, there they were, I knew.
-
In the spring night’s dark,
how pointless is the deep gloom—
plum blossoms:
though their color is not seen,
how could their scent be hidden?
-
You—who knows?
your heart I do not know;
as for this old home,
only the blossoms, as of old,
still give forth their scent.