今よりは梅咲く宿は心せむ
待たぬに来ます人もありけり
待たぬに来ます人もありけり
- Roma-ji
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Ima yori wa ume saku yado wa kokoro semu matanu ni kimasu hito mo arikeri
- English Translation
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From this time onward
a house where plum trees blossom
must be on its guard:
for there are some who will call
though no one waits for them
- Meaning
- From now on, any house where the plum is in bloom had better be prepared, for it seems there are people who come calling even when no one is expecting them.
- Commentary
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Book One Spring Poems I 19
Headnote: "Composed as a poem on plum blossoms when presenting a hundred-poem sequence in the reign of Emperor Horikawa"
Composed on the topic "plum blossoms" for the Horikawa Hundred-Poem Sequence, this poem notes that, lured by the scent, even unexpected visitors may call at a house where plum is in bloom, and resolves henceforth to be ready to receive guests when the plum flowers. It captures, in a light tone, the idea of plum fragrance drawing people in.
The author, "Major Counselor Moroyori," is Minamoto no Moroyori, son of Minister of the Left Minamoto no Toshifusa, who rose to Major Counselor. He was one of the poets of the Horikawa Hundred-Poem Sequence.
First line, "ima yori wa": "from now on," a resolution prompted by a new discovery.
Second line, "ume saku yado wa": "yado" means a house or dwelling.
Third line, "kokoro semu": "kokoro su" means to take care or be on guard, and "mu" expresses intention. The poem pauses here.
Fourth line, "matanu ni kimasu": "masu" is honorific: "they come though not awaited." Where 15 and 16 formed an exchange calling for a visit, this poem presents a plum-blossom house to which people come unbidden.
Fifth line, "hito mo arikeri": "keri" expresses realization: "so there are such people."
- Author
- Minamoto no Moroyori
- Source
- Senzai Wakashu
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Kaoru ka no taesenu haru wa ume no hana fukikuru kaze ya nodokekaruramu
- Next Poem
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Nioi mote wakaba zo wakamu ume no hana sore tomo mienu haru no yo no tsuki