Kokinshu #428

Japanese plum flowers (sumomo no hana)

    Now that there aren't
many days left of springtime,
    it seems that even
the bush warbler gazes off
into space, brooding on things.

—7 July 2013

(Original by Ki no Tsurayuki.) This is a different species of plum (Prunus salicina) from the Chinese ume blossoms (Prunus mume) of early spring -- this is the main fruit tree, with white flowers that aren't as ornamental and bloom later. In the poem, the implication is that the bird has gone silent, giving us a "reasoning" style poem without the evidence half, which is refreshing. The "things" brooded upon are given a slight emphasis (marked as a topic, rather than direct object), subtly implying the bird is melancholy over the departing blossoms of the topic.


ima ikuka
haru shi nakereba
uguisu mo
mono wa nagamete
omouberanari

---L.