on Tatsuta River
maple leaves drift with the flow—
in the sacred hills
of Mimuro, high among the gods,
showers must be falling now

Meaning

Maple leaves drift along the Tatsuta River—surely in the sacred Mimuro mountains upstream, the autumn showers are falling.

Commentary

Book Five Autumn Poems (Part Two)

A note records that the first two lines are also given as “On Asuka River, maple leaves drift.”

At the time, it was believed that passing showers (shigure) caused the trees to redden and their leaves to fall.

“Kaminabi” refers to a place where a deity resides, and “Mimuro” signifies a sacred dwelling, either of a noble person or of a god. “Mount Mimuro” here likely refers not to a specific mountain but to a sacred, divine mountain in general.

Author

Unknown Poet

Source

Kokin Wakashu

Other

in the deep mountains on rocky cliffs, the maple leaves seem about to fall— never once seeing the light of the sun that brightly shines
on Tatsuta River maple leaves in wild disorder flow along its course— if I should try to cross it, would that brocade not be torn?
when longing comes to me, I shall gaze and think on them— maple leaves of red; do not scatter them away, O wind that blows down the hills
unable to withstand the autumn wind, they scatter— maple leaves that fall; like them, with no fixed course, my own path fills me with grief

on Tatsuta River maple leaves drift with the flow— in the sacred hills of Mimuro, high among the gods, showers must be falling now

on Tatsuta River
maple leaves drift with the flow—
in the sacred hills
of Mimuro, high among the gods,
showers must be falling now