Kokinshu #15
Monday, 1 November 2010 07:02![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lnhammer(from the same contest)
Though spring has started,
in the mountain village where
not even the plum
flowers forth, the bush warbler
sings with a listless voice.
haru tatedo
hana mo niowanu
yamazato wa
monoukaru ne ni
uguisu zo naku
---L.
Though spring has started,
in the mountain village where
not even the plum
flowers forth, the bush warbler
sings with a listless voice.
—23 September, rev 17 October 2010
Original by Ariwara no Muneyana, oldest son of Narihira and father of Motokata (author of #1). He died in 898 after serving in the courts of five emperors, and has four poems in the Kokinshu. Although the modern meaning of niou is "to be fragrant," it's the archaic meanings of "to blossom" or "to be splendid" that apply here.haru tatedo
hana mo niowanu
yamazato wa
monoukaru ne ni
uguisu zo naku
---L.