うゑし時花まちどほにありし菊
うつろふ秋にあはむとや見し
うつろふ秋にあはむとや見し
- Roma-ji
-
Ueshi toki hana machidō ni arishi kiku
utsurou aki ni awamu to ya mishi - English Translation
-
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?
- Meaning
- When I planted it, I longed to see the chrysanthemum bloom, yet I never thought I would meet it in autumn as it fades away.
- Commentary
-
Book Five Autumn Poems (Part Two)
Composed for a poetry contest in the imperial palace during the Kanpyō era.
When planting flowers, one eagerly awaits their bloom, yet once they do bloom, they soon fade and fall. The poem expresses both regret at the withering of the chrysanthemum and a lament for the swift passage of time.
The particle “ya” in “ahamu to ya mishi” is rhetorical, implying “did I ever think so?—surely not.”
- Author
- Oe no Chisato
- Source
- Kokin Wakashu
- Prev Poem
-
Tsuyu nagara orite kazasamu kiku no hana
oisenu aki no hisashikarubeku - Next Poem
-
Akikaze no Fukiage ni tateru shiragiku wa
hana ka aranu ka nami no yosuru ka