もみぢ葉の散りてつもれる我が宿に
誰を松虫ここら鳴くらむ
誰を松虫ここら鳴くらむ
- Roma-ji
-
Momijiba no chirite tsumoreru waga yado ni
tare o matsumushi kokora nakuramu - English Translation
-
Crimson leaves have fallen
and lie piled at my dwelling—
in this lonely place,
for whom does the cricket cry,
so many times, in waiting?
- Meaning
- At my dwelling where fallen crimson leaves lie piled, for whom does the cricket cry so often, as if waiting?
- Commentary
-
Book Four Autumn Poems (Part One)
The fallen leaves piled in the garden suggest a place where no visitors come. Though no one is expected to arrive, the cricket continues to cry—so for whom is it waiting?
The poet, who may already have given up waiting, seems nonetheless to hold some lingering hope.
“Matsumushi,” the bell cricket, carries a wordplay with “to wait,” deepening the sense of longing.
- Author
- Unknown Poet
- Source
- Kokin Wakashu
- Prev Poem
-
Aki no no ni hito matsumushi no koe su nari
ware ka to yukite iza toburawamu - Next Poem
-
Higurashi no nakitsuru nabe ni hi wa kurenu
to omou wa yama no kage ni zo arikeru