立ちとまり見てを渡らむもみぢ葉は
雨とふるとも水はまさらじ
雨とふるとも水はまさらじ
- Roma-ji
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Tachitomari mite o wataramu momijiba wa
ame to furu tomo mizu wa masaraji - English Translation
-
I will pause awhile
to gaze, and then make my way
across the flowing stream—
though leaves fall like the rain,
the waters will not rise
- Meaning
- I will pause to look, and then cross—the autumn leaves may fall like rain, yet the waters will not rise.
- Commentary
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Book Five Autumn Poems (Part Two)
Composed when the Retired Emperor commanded a poem on a screen painting at the Teishi-in, depicting a man who, about to cross a river, halts beneath trees shedding autumn leaves, holding his horse’s reins.
The poem is written from the perspective of that figure. When rain falls, the river may swell, urging one to hurry across. Yet however much the leaves fall, the water does not rise, so one may linger to admire them before crossing.
- Author
- Oshikochi no Mitsune
- Source
- Kokin Wakashu
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Kaze fukeba otsuru momijiba mizu kiyomi
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