In all things alike
autumn is full of sorrow—
as leaves turn to red,
and pass away in their change,
we feel it marks their end.

Meaning

In everything, autumn is a sorrowful season, for as the leaves turn red and change, we feel that it marks their end.

Commentary

Book Four Autumn Poems (Part One)

The poem expresses the sadness and loneliness of endings, as trees take on their vivid autumn colors and then gradually fade and fall.
It may suggest not only the passing of the season, but also a deeper sorrow for all things that come to an end.

“Momijitsutsu” derives from “momizu,” meaning that plants and trees take on autumn colors, with “tsutsu” indicating continuation.
“Kagiri” means a limit or an end.

Author

Unknown Poet

Source

Kokin Wakashu

Other

As autumn comes on through all the world around me— then it is that I come to know within myself how sorrowful I truly am.
Not for me alone does the coming autumn arrive— yet when I hear the voices of the insects, at once my heart grows sad.
Though where I lie alone is no bed of grass and leaves— on autumn nights, it seems as though it is wet with the dew that settles there.
At no set time are such thoughts confined—yet still, on autumn nights, they reach their utmost depth, with no end to pondering.

In all things alike autumn is full of sorrow— as leaves turn to red, and pass away in their change, we feel it marks their end.

In all things alike
autumn is full of sorrow—
as leaves turn to red,
and pass away in their change,
we feel it marks their end.