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Kokinshu #118
Sunday, 31 July 2011 09:07 A poem from the poetry contest held in the palace of the consort in the Kanpyô era.
Both the blowing winds
and waters of the valleys --
were it not for these,
would we ever see the flowers
hidden in the deep mountains?
fuku kaze to
tani no mizu to shi
nakariseba
miyama-gakure no
hana o mimashi ya
---L.
Both the blowing winds
and waters of the valleys --
were it not for these,
would we ever see the flowers
hidden in the deep mountains?
—19 July 2011
(Original by Ki no Tsurayuki.) This time, slippage of place. That the waters are flowing is omitted-but-understood: wind blows the petals off to be washed downstream into view. I think I'd like this more if that were a touch more explicit, though in Japanese esthetics, leaving it implicit gives the poem more "depth." My slightly roundabout phrasing attempts to bring out the importance of the emphatic shi.fuku kaze to
tani no mizu to shi
nakariseba
miyama-gakure no
hana o mimashi ya
---L.