in the god-haunted hills
of Kannabi, the maple leaves—
I shall not set my heart
upon them, for they fade away
and change their hues in time.
- Meaning
- I shall not set my heart on the autumn leaves of Mount Kannabi, for they change their colors and fall away.
- Commentary
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Book Five Autumn Poems (Part Two)
The poem likely depicts the beautiful autumn leaves as they scatter and fade. Yet, if the leaves are taken as a metaphor for a woman, it may also suggest a quiet resignation—one should not give one’s heart, for feelings too will change and pass.
“Chihayaburu” is a pillow word that modifies “kami” (deity) in Kannabi.
- Author
- Unknown Poet
- Source
- Kokin Wakashu
- Other
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- with mist rising high the wild geese cry as they pass— on Kataoka’s plain in the morning’s early light the leaves must now be turned red.
- in the godless month though the drizzling rains have yet to fall from the sky, already the sacred grove of Kannabi shifts its hues.
- though from the selfsame branch the leaves begin to change their hues— it is from the west that autumn first arrives, and thus the turning colors come to be.
- since the very day the autumn wind began to blow, on Mount Otowa even the treetops on the peak have taken on autumn hues.