as soon as it blows forth
the grasses and trees of autumn
wither straight away—
no wonder then that mountain winds
are called by the name of storm.

Meaning

As soon as it blows, the grasses and trees of autumn wither at once—no wonder the mountain wind is called a storm.

Commentary

Book Five Autumn Poems (Part Two)

Composed for a poetry contest at the residence of Prince Koretada.

The poem evokes the end of autumn, when the cold, harsh winds descending from the mountains cause grasses and trees to wither. It plays on the word "arashi" (storm), suggesting both the violent wind and the act of laying waste to vegetation.

There is also a wordplay combining "mountain" and "wind" to form the written character for "arashi," reflecting a type of poetic play known as rigo (character composition).

This poem is also included in the Hyakunin Isshu and is attributed there to Fun'ya no Yasuhide.

Author

Funya no Asayasu

Source

Kokin Wakashu

Other

with moonflower’s hue I would dye these sleeves I wear— though with morning dew once they are soaked through and through their color may fade away.
the village lies in ruin, its people grown old with years— is it such a place? both garden and its hedges seem but an autumn field now.
though grasses and trees all change their hues with the season, the wide sea remains— in the blossoms of its waves no sign of autumn is found.
on the evergreen mount where leaves never turn to crimson, must it be the wind whose sound alone tells of autumn as it passes ever on?

as soon as it blows forth the grasses and trees of autumn wither straight away— no wonder then that mountain winds are called by the name of storm.

as soon as it blows forth
the grasses and trees of autumn
wither straight away—
no wonder then that mountain winds
are called by the name of storm.