花はみな四方の嵐に誘はれて
ひとりや春の今日は行くらん
ひとりや春の今日は行くらん
- Roma-ji
-
Hana wa mina yomo no arashi ni sasowarete hitori ya haru no kyō wa yukuran
- English Translation
-
All the blossoms
lured away by the storm winds
blowing from all sides,
will the spring today depart
all alone, I wonder?
- Meaning
- All the blossoms have been lured away by the storms blowing from every side; will the spring now depart today all alone?
- Commentary
-
Book Two Spring Poems II 131
Headnote: "Composed and sent to Shunzei, Master of the Empress Dowager's Household, on the last day of the Third Month"
Composed and sent on the last day of the Third Month to Fujiwara no Shunzei, Master of the Empress Dowager's Household. All the blossoms have been lured away by storms blowing from every side, so the spring, with no flowers for company, must depart today all alone. Personifying spring and portraying its loneliness in leaving after losing its companions the flowers, the poem conveys both regret for spring and fondness for Shunzei, with whom the poet wishes to share that feeling.
The author, "Hōin Jōken," is Jōken, son of Minor Counselor Fujiwara no Michinori (Shinzei), a Tendai monk who rose to the rank of Hōin. He served as a close attendant of Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa.
Shunzei is said to have replied that spring would not go home alone so long as the hearts of those who mourn it did not lag behind.
First line, "hana wa mina": "the blossoms, all of them." "Hana no mina" in 101 of this book likewise speaks of blossoms all fallen.
Second line, "yomo no arashi ni": "yomo" means all four directions, so these are storms blowing from every side.
Third line, "sasowarete": "re" is passive: "lured away by the storms and fallen," likening the blossoms' scattering in the wind to being invited to leave.
Fourth line, "hitori ya haru no": the interrogative "ya" links with "ran" in the last line, describing spring, left behind by the flowers, departing alone.
Fifth line, "kyō wa yukuran": "ran" is the attributive of present conjecture, closing with "ya." After the preceding poem, 130, told of parting from spring, this one tells of the loneliness of spring itself as it departs.
- Author
- Jōken
- Source
- Senzai Wakashu
- Prev Poem
-
Morotomo ni onaji miyako wa ideshikado tsui ni wa haru ni wakarenuru kana
- Next Poem
-
Hana no haru kasanaru kai zo nakarikeru chiranu hikazu no sowaba koso arame