ちはやぶる神世もきかず竜田河
唐紅に水くくるとは
唐紅に水くくるとは
- Roma-ji
-
Chihayaburu kamiyo mo kikazu Tatsutagawa
karakurenai ni mizu kukuru to wa - English Translation
-
even in ages of gods
never once has it been heard—
the Tatsuta River
binding its flowing waters
in deep-dyed scarlet
- Meaning
- Even in the age of the gods, it has never been heard that the Tatsuta River could bind its waters in deep scarlet dye.
- Commentary
-
Book Five Autumn Poems (Part Two)
A poem also included in the Hyakunin Isshu.
It expresses that even in the age of the gods—an age of fierce and wondrous happenings—such a thing as the Tatsuta River dyeing its waters deep crimson has never been heard of.
It is a heightened expression of the beauty of autumn leaves scattered upon the Tatsuta River (in present-day Ikaruga, Ikoma District, Nara), a place famed for its autumn colors.
“Chihayaburu” is a pillow word applied to “gods,” carrying a sense of wild or awe-inspiring power.
- Author
- Ariwara no Narihira
- Source
- Kokin Wakashu
- Prev Poem
-
Momijiba no nagarete tomaru minato ni wa
kurenai fukaki nami ya tatsuramu - Next Poem
-
Waga kitsuru kata mo shirarezu Kurabuyama
kigi no ko no ha no chiru to magau ni