Kokinshu #279
Friday, 27 July 2012 07:03![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lnhammer Written when chrysanthemum flowers were summoned to Ninna Temple and he was commanded to present an accompanying poem.
Autumn aside,
this especially is their time
-- for the moment that
chrysanthemum flowers change,
their colors only improve.
aki o okite
toki koso arikere
kiku no hana
utsurou kara ni
iro no masareba
---L.
Autumn aside,
this especially is their time
-- for the moment that
chrysanthemum flowers change,
their colors only improve.
—25 July 2012
Original by Taira no Sadafun. Ninna Temple in western Kyoto was commissioned by the Ninna Emperor, Kôkô (see #21), and completed in 888 under Emperor Uda, who retired there after abdicating in 899; scholars identify the incident as happening in 904. Overtone lost in translation: usually for plants, the "change" of utsurou is the color, but it can also be location -- giving an alternate reading that the flowers gained glory by being transplanted to near the retired emperor. It's also possible to see the 'mums as symbols of Uda, who gained a measure of political influence after his abdication (notwithstanding his inability to protect Michizane). Always gotta watch for these sorts of layered flattery from courtiers.aki o okite
toki koso arikere
kiku no hana
utsurou kara ni
iro no masareba
---L.