わび人のわきて立ち寄る木の本は
たのむかげなくもみぢ散りけり
たのむかげなくもみぢ散りけり
- Roma-ji
-
Wabibito no wakite tachiyoru ko no moto wa
tanomu kage naku momiji chirikeri - English Translation
-
a man in loneliness
who comes apart to stand
beneath a certain tree—
even the shade he trusted
is gone, the leaves all fallen
- Meaning
- For the lonely man who would especially come to stand beneath this tree, even the shade he relied upon is gone—the autumn leaves have all fallen.
- Commentary
-
Book Five Autumn Poems (Part Two)
Composed while standing beneath the shade of the trees at Unrin-in.
It tells of a man in distress who had hoped to rely on the tree, yet its autumn leaves have fallen and even its shade is gone.
“Unrin-in” was a temple in Murasakino, Kyoto, where Prince Tsuneyasu, the seventh son of Emperor Montoku, resided. It suggests that the poet, who had likely been under the prince’s protection, laments the loss of the one he depended upon.
- Author
- Sojo Henjo
- Source
- Kokin Wakashu
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Shimo no tate tsuyu no nuki koso yowakarashi
yama no nishiki no oreba katsu chiru - Next Poem
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Momijiba no nagarete tomaru minato ni wa
kurenai fukaki nami ya tatsuramu