あだなりと名にこそたてれ桜花
年にまれなる人もまちけり
年にまれなる人もまちけり
- Roma-ji
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Ada nari to na ni koso tatere sakurabana
toshi ni mare naru hito mo machikeri - English Translation
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They call it faithless,
by name they so proclaim it—
cherry blossoms;
yet they have waited
for one who comes but rarely in the year.
- Meaning
- They call the cherry blossoms faithless, so they proclaim by name, because they scatter so quickly; yet they have waited without falling for one who comes but rarely in the year.
- Commentary
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Episode Seventeen: "They call it faithless"
A person who had not visited for several years came at last to see the cherry blossoms when they were in full bloom.
This poem was composed by the master of the house for the visitor who had come after so long.
Because he came just when the blossoms were beautifully in bloom, there is a tone of delighted banter in lightly teasing him.
- Source
- Ise Monogatari
- Prev Poem
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Aki ya kuru tsuyu ya magau to omou made
aru wa namida no furu ni zo arikeru - Next Poem
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Kyō kozu wa asu wa yuki to zo furinamashi
kiezu wa ari tomo hana to mimashi ya