still with its dew upon it,
I shall pluck and wear the chrysanthemum—
so that this autumn,
which knows no aging, may endure
and last for long unending days.
- Meaning
- I shall pluck and wear the chrysanthemum still covered with dew, so that this autumn, untouched by age, may long endure.
- Commentary
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Book Five Autumn Poems (Part Two)
Composed at a poetry contest at the residence of Prince Koretada.
The poem alludes to a Chinese legend in which the dew upon chrysanthemums grants longevity. Thus, by wearing the dew-laden flower, the poet expresses a wish for enduring youth and long life. The phrase “an autumn that does not age” suggests a desire for lasting vitality and unchanging vigor.
- Author
- Ki no Tomonori
- Source
- Kokin Wakashu
- Other
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- if well and firmly planted, will it not bloom again when autumn returns? though flowers may fall and scatter, how could the root itself wither?
- in the lofty heights above the clouds where I behold these blooming chrysanthemums— they are mistaken, it would seem, for stars set in the heavens.
- when first I planted it, how I longed to see it bloom— this chrysanthemum; yet did I ever think I would meet it in autumn as it fades away?
- raised by autumn winds upon the shore of Fukiage, stand these white chrysanthemums— are they flowers, or could they be the waves that gather on the shore?