Awaiting the Fifth Month,
when I catch the scent
of orange blossoms,
it is the fragrance
of one long past that comes to me.
- Meaning
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When I breathe in the scent of the orange blossoms that bloom in the Fifth Month, it recalls the fragrance of the sleeves of one from long ago.
- Commentary
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Book III, Summer Poems
Scenting the fragrant orange blossoms, the poet is reminded of the sleeves of a former beloved, and feels a sense of longing.
In the past, people would perfume their garments with incense, each according to their taste.
- Author
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Unknown Poet
- Source
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Kokin Wakashu
- Other
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Awaiting the Fifth Month,
O mountain cuckoo,
beat your wings—
and even now, I pray,
sing in last year’s voice.
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When the Fifth Month comes,
your song will lose its rarity,
O cuckoo;
before that time arrives,
let me hear your fresh young voice.
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Before I knew it,
has the Fifth Month come?
from the mountain depths,
the cuckoo at last now
has begun to cry aloud.
-
This very morning,
having just begun to cry,
still on its journey,
o cuckoo, pray take rest
in my blooming orange tree.