Yesterday and today
Clouds rise and drift about,
Hiding it away—
It must be that they found
The flowering woods too dear.
- Meaning
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Yesterday and today the clouds rose and drifted about, hiding the mountain from sight. It must be that they found the woodland, whose treetops were covered with snow like blossoms, too precious to show to others.
- Commentary
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67. The Flowering Woods
A certain man set out with close companions whose company he enjoyed, traveling leisurely in the second month of the lunar calendar to the province of Izumi (present-day southwestern Osaka Prefecture). When they reached Kawachi Province (present-day eastern Osaka Prefecture) and looked toward Mount Ikoma, the sky alternated between cloud and clear weather. The clouds rose high and then spread sideways as if settling down, moving constantly.
The poem was composed by the man after the sky, which had been cloudy since morning, cleared at noon and he saw the appearance of the mountain.
Seeing this winter scene of early spring, he sensed that the season of blossoms was near. He imagines the clouds as cherishing the beautiful white snow and unwilling to reveal it, projecting his feelings onto them.
"Flowering woods" refers to woods in which blossoms appear everywhere. In this poem it describes the sight of snow piled upon the treetops so that the forest looks as though it were filled with blossoms.
- Source
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Ise Monogatari
- Other
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