宿りせし人の形見か藤袴
忘られがたき香ににほひつつ
忘られがたき香ににほひつつ
- Roma-ji
-
Yadori seshi hito no katami ka fujibakama
wasuraregataki ka ni nioitsutsu - English Translation
-
is it a keepsake
of one who lodged here before—
wisteria-robe?
ever breathing forth a scent
so hard for me to forget.
- Meaning
- Is it a keepsake of the one who once stayed here? The fujibakama continues to give off a fragrance that is hard to forget.
- Commentary
-
Book Four Autumn Poems (Part One)
A poem composed on the fujibakama and sent to someone.
Most likely, the person who once stayed at the poet’s dwelling was a woman, and the poem was sent to her. What is hard to forget is not merely the scent of the flower, but the fragrance of her garments scented with incense.
"Katami" here does not mean a relic of the dead, but something that recalls a past encounter.
- Author
- Ki no Tsurayuki
- Source
- Kokin Wakashu
- Prev Poem
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Nanibito ka kite nugikakeshi fujibakama
kuru aki goto ni nobe o niowasu - Next Poem
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Nushi shiranu ka koso nioere aki no no ni
ta ga nugikakeshi fujibakama zo mo