秋はきぬ紅葉は宿に降りしきぬ
道ふみわけてとふ人はなし
道ふみわけてとふ人はなし
- Roma-ji
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Aki wa kinu momiji wa yado ni furishikinu
michi fumiwakete tou hito wa nashi - English Translation
-
autumn has now come;
fallen leaves lie thick at my door—
maples strewn below;
yet no one comes, parting them,
treading through to visit me
- Meaning
- Autumn has come; fallen leaves lie thick upon my dwelling, yet there is no one who parts them and comes to visit.
- Commentary
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Book Five Autumn Poems (Part Two)
In the lonely season of autumn, the fallen leaves, the solitary poet, and the sense of desolation are expressed with a rhythm of “-kinu -kinu -nashi,” giving the poem a curiously measured cadence.
It invites reflection on the poet’s situation: whether he waits in vain for a beloved who does not come, or whether he has fallen into decline and is no longer visited by anyone.
- Author
- Unknown Poet
- Source
- Kokin Wakashu
- Prev Poem
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Akikaze ni aezu chirinuru momijiba no
yukue sadamenu ware zo kanashiki - Next Poem
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Fumiwakete sara ni wa towamu momijiba no
furikakushiteshi michi to minagara