草も木も色はかはれどもわたつうみの
浪の花にぞ秋なかりける
浪の花にぞ秋なかりける
- Roma-ji
-
Kusa mo ki mo iro wa kawaredomo watatsuumi no
nami no hana ni zo aki nakarikeru - English Translation
-
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.
- Meaning
- Though grasses and trees change their colors, in the blossoms of the sea’s waves there is no sign of autumn.
- Commentary
-
Book Five Autumn Poems (Part Two)
Composed for a poetry contest at the residence of Prince Koretada.
While grasses and trees take on withered autumn colors, the sea remains unchanged throughout the year. The whitecaps are likened to blossoms, yet unlike flowers on land, they show no sign of autumn.
Comparing waves to flowers was a common poetic device of the time.
"Watatsumi" refers here to the sea itself.
- Author
- Funya no Asayasu
- Source
- Kokin Wakashu
- Prev Poem
-
Fuku kara ni aki no kusaki no shiorureba
mube yamakaze o arashi to iuramu - Next Poem
-
Momiji senu Tokiwa no yama wa fuku kaze no
oto ni ya aki o kikiwataruramu