萩の露玉に抜かむと取ればけぬ
よし見む人は枝ながら見よ
よし見む人は枝ながら見よ
- Roma-ji
-
Hagi no tsuyu tama ni nukamu to toreba kenu
yoshi mimu hito wa eda nagara mi yo - English Translation
-
The dewdrops on bush clover—
to thread them as shining beads
I took them in hand,
but they vanished all away;—
if one would see, see them there.
- Meaning
- When I took the dewdrops on bush clover to thread them as jewels, they vanished; if one wishes to admire them, one must see them as they are upon the branch.
- Commentary
-
Book Four Autumn Poems (Part One)
The dewdrops upon the bush clover were so beautiful that the poet tried to take them in hand and enjoy them, perhaps even to string them like jewels. Yet, as soon as they were touched, they vanished. Thus, the poet remarks that anyone who wishes to admire such beauty should look at it as it remains upon the branch.
The poem gently suggests that fleeting beauty is best appreciated as it is, rather than grasped.
A note attached to the poem says that, according to some, it is a poem by the Emperor of Nara.
“Yoshi” conveys a sense of resignation, meaning “well then” or “it cannot be helped.”
- Author
- Unknown Poet
- Source
- Kokin Wakashu
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Nakiwataru kari no namida ya ochitsuramu
mono omou yado no hagi no ue no tsuyu - Next Poem
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Orite miba ochi zo shinubeki akihagi no
eda mo tawawa ni okeru shiratsuyu