花見には群れて行けども青柳の
糸のもとにはくる人もなし
糸のもとにはくる人もなし
- Roma-ji
-
Hanami ni wa murete yukedomo aoyagi no ito no moto ni wa kuru hito mo nashi
- English Translation
-
To view the blossoms
people go in crowds, and yet
the green willow's threads,
beneath them there is no one
who comes to reel them in.
- Meaning
- People go in crowds to view the blossoms, yet no one comes to stand beneath the green willow's threads.
- Commentary
-
Book One Spring Poems 35
Headnote: "Topic unknown"
People flock together to view the blossoms, yet no one comes to stand beneath the green willow, the poem notes of the willow's loneliness. In the contrast between showy flowers and the modest willow lies a gentle sympathy for the tree.
First line, "hanami ni wa," refers to cherry blossom viewing, serving as a bridge to the cherry poems that begin with the next poem.
Second line, "murete yukedomo," means "though they go in crowds," with "domo" expressing concession.
Third line, "aoyagi no," is placed last in the green willow sequence that runs from poem 32 of this book.
Fourth line, "ito no moto ni wa," likens the willow's branches to thread: "beneath them."
Final line, "kuru hito mo nashi," is a pivot word combining people "coming" and thread being "reeled," with "ito" and "kuru" as associated words.
- Author
- Unknown Poet
- Source
- Shui Wakashu
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Aoyagi no hanada no ito o yoriawasete taezu mo naku ka uguisu no koe
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