千鳥なく佐保の河ぎりたちぬらし
山のこの葉も色まさりゆく
山のこの葉も色まさりゆく
- Roma-ji
-
Chidori naku Saho no kawagiri tachinurashi
yama no ko no ha mo iro masariyuku - English Translation
-
the plovers are calling
mist rises on the Saho River—
it must be so now
even the leaves upon the hills
grow deeper in their autumn hues
- Meaning
- The plovers are calling, and mist must be rising over the Saho River; even the leaves upon the hills are deepening in color.
- Commentary
-
Book Seven Felicitations
An autumn poem among those written on a screen painted with scenes of the four seasons, at the fortieth-year celebration banquet of Fujiwara no Sadakuni, composed by the Naishi-no-Kami.
Seeing the autumn leaves deepen in color, the poet imagines that the river, too, must be covered in mist. In earlier times, it was believed that mist and dew transformed leaves into shades of red and gold, and this idea is reflected in the poem.
The Saho River flows through the city of Nara.
- Author
- Mibu no Tadamine
- Source
- Kokin Wakashu
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Aki kuredo iro mo kawaranu Tokiwayama
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