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A Hundred Verses from Old Japan

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For other English-language translations of this work, see Hyakunin Isshū.
A Hundred Verses from Old Japan (1909)
translated by William Ninnis Porter, edited by Fujiwara no Teika
William Ninnis Porter4373328A Hundred Verses from Old Japan1909Fujiwara no Teika

A HUNDRED VERSES
FROM OLD JAPAN


BEING A

TRANSLATION OF THE HYAKU-NIN-ISSHIU


BY

WILLIAM N. PORTER

OXFORD

AT THE CLARENDON PRESS

1909

HENRY FROWDE, M.A.

PUBLISHER TO THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD

LONDON, EDINBURGH, NEW YORK

TORONTO AND MELBOURNE

INTRODUCTION

The Hyaku-nin-isshiu, or ‘Single Verses by a Hundred People’, were collected together in A.D. 1235 by Sadaiye Fujiwara, who included as his own contribution verse No. 97. They are placed in approximately chronological order, and range from about the year 670 to the year of compilation. The Japanese devote themselves to poetry very much more than we do; and there is hardly a home in Japan, however humble, where these verses, or at least some of them, are not known. They are, and have been for many years, used also in connexion with a game of cards, in which the skill consists in fitting parts of the different verses together.

Japanese poetry differs very largely from anything we are used to; it has no rhyme or alliteration, and little, if any, rhythm, as we understand it. The verses in this Collection are all what are called Tanka, which was for many years the only form of verse known to the Japanese. A tanka verse has five lines and thirty-one syllables, arranged thus: 5–7–5–7–7; as this is an unusual metre in our ears, I have adopted for the translation a five-lined verse of 8–6–8–6–6 metre, with the second, fourth, and fifth lines rhyming, in the hope of retaining at least some resemblance to the original form, while making the sound more familiar to English readers.

I may perhaps insert here, as an example, the following well-known tanka verse, which does not appear in the Hyaku-nin-isshiu collection:—

Idete inaba
Nushinaki yado to
Narinu tomo
Nokiba no ume yo
Haru wo wasuruna.

Though masterless my home appear,
When I have gone away,
Oh plum tree growing by the eaves,
Forget not to display
Thy buds in spring, I pray.

This was written by Sanetomo Minamoto on the morning of the day he was murdered at Kamakura, as related in the note to verse No. 93.

It is necessarily impossible in a translation of this kind to adhere at all literally to the text; more especially as Japanese poetry abounds in all sorts of puns, plays upon words, and alternative meanings, which cannot be rendered into English. For example, a favourite device with Japanese verse-writers is to introduce what Professor Chamberlain calls a ‘pivot-word’, which they consider adds an elegant touch to the composition. An instance of this will be found in verse No. 16, where the word matsu, though only appearing once, must be understood twice with its two different meanings. It is almost as if we should say, Sympathy is what I needless to say I never get it.’ Other peculiarities of Japanese verse, as Professor Chamberlain points out, are the ‘pillow-word’, or recognized conventional epithet (see verse No. 17), and the ‘preface’, where the first two or three lines appear to have only the slightest connexion with the main idea, and simply serve as an introduction (see verse No. 27).

The Hyaku-nin-isshiu, like all Japanese classical poetry, contains no Chinese words, such as are so extensively introduced into the modern spoken language; it consists of poetical ideas clothed in poetical language, compressed within the regulation metre, embellished with various elegant word-plays, and is absolutely free from any trace of vulgarity. In the old days it was only the nobles, court officials, and church dignitaries, who wrote verses; or at all events only their verses have been handed down to our time, and the lower classes were not supposed to know anything at all about the art.

Thus, it is related that long ago Prince Ota Dokwan was hunting with his retinue on the mountains; and, a storm of rain coming on, he stopped at a mountain inn, to request the loan of a rain-coat; a girl came at his call, and retired into the hut, coming back again in a few minutes looking rather confused, and without saying a word she humbly presented the Prince with a yamabuki blossom (a kind of yellow rose) on an outstretched fan. The Prince, much incensed at being trifled with like this, turned on his heel, and went off in high dudgeon; until one of his attendants reminded him of a well-known verse, which runs:—

Nanae yae
Hana wa sake domo
Yamabuki no
Mi no hitotsu dani
Naka zo kanashiki.

The yamabuki blossom has
A wealth of petals gay;
But yet in spite of this, alas!
I much regret to say,
No seed can it display.

The words as printed in the last couplet mean, ‘I am very sorry that it has not a single seed’; but, if mino is taken as one word, it would mean, ‘I am very sorry that (the yamabuki, i.e. herself, the mountain flower) has not any rain-coat’. And this was the maiden’s delicate apology. The Prince, we are told, was astonished to find such culture and learning in a peasant girl!

Perhaps what strikes one most in connexion with the Hyaku-nin-isshiu is the date when the verses were written; most of them were produced before the time of the Norman Conquest, and one cannot but be struck with the advanced state of art and culture in Japan at a time when England was still in a very elementary stage of civilization.

The Collection, as will be seen, consists almost entirely of love-poems and what I may call picture-poems, intended to bring before the mind’s eye some well-known scene in nature; and it is marvellous what perfect little thumbnail sketches are compressed within thirty-one syllables, however crude and faulty the translation may be; for instance, verses Nos. 79, 87, and 98. But the predominating feature, the undercurrent that runs through them all, is a touch of pathos, which is characteristic of the Japanese. It shows out in the cherry blossoms which are doomed to fall, the dewdrops scattered by the wind, the mournful cry of the wild deer on the mountains, the dying crimson of the fallen maple leaves, the weird sadness of the cuckoo singing in the moonlight, and the loneliness of the recluse in the mountain wilds; while those verses which appear to be of a more cheerful type are rather of the nature of the ‘Japanese smile’, described by Lafcadio Hearn as a mask to hide the real feelings.

Some explanation is necessary as to the names of the writers of the different verses. The Japanese custom is to place the family or clan name first, followed by the preposition no (of), and then the rest of the name; but, as this would be appreciated only by those who are familiar with the language, the names have been transposed, and the titles and ranks translated, as far as possible, into English. At the same time the full name and title have also been given on the left hand page in their Japanese form; for many of these names, such as Yamabe no Akahito, Abe no Nakamaro, Ono no Komachi, are so well known to Japanese students that they would hardly be recognized in their transposed form.

A word may be added as to pronunciation, for the benefit of those who are not familiar with Japanese; every vowel in poetry must be sounded, there are no diphthongs, a long vowel is lengthened out, as if it were two syllables, a final n, which was originally mu, must be sounded as a full syllable, and a final vowel is generally elided, if the following word begins with a vowel. The continental sound is to be given to a, e, and i, and the aspirate is sounded.

The illustrations have been reproduced from a native edition of the Hyaku-nin-isshiu, which probably dates from the end of the eighteenth century, and which has been kindly lent to me by Mr. F. V. Dickins, C.B., to whom I am much indebted; as will be seen, they generally illustrate the subject of the verse, but occasionally they appear to represent the conditions under which the verse was written.

For most of the information contained in the notes the present Translator is indebted to the researches of Professor B. H. Chamberlain, F.R.G.S., Professor Clay MacCauley, and Mr. F. V. Dickins, C.B.; his thanks are also due to Mr. S. Uchigasaki, for his kind assistance towards the meaning of some of the more obscure passages. He makes no claim that his verses have any merit as English poetry; nor, where there is so much uncertainty among the Japanese themselves as to the real meaning of some of these old verses, does he claim that his translation is in all cases the correct one. In two or three instances the original has been purposely toned down somewhat, to suit English ideas. He has, however, tried to reproduce these Verses from Old Japan in such a way, that a few of the many, who now are unfamiliar with the subject, may feel sufficient interest in them to study a more scholarly translation, such as that by Mr. F. V. Dickins, recently published in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, or Professor MacCauley’s literal translation, both of which are evidently the result of hard labour and great care; and may thus learn to appreciate a branch of Japanese art which has been far too much neglected up to the present.

W. N. P.

‘Whatever Defects, as, I doubt not, there will be many, fall under the Reader’s Observation, I hope his Candour will incline him to make the following Reflections: That the Works of Orientals contain many Peculiarities, and that thro’ Defect of Language few European Translators can do them Justice.’

William Collins.

List of poems by first line (not listed in original)
  1. Out in the fields this autumn day
    Aki no ta no · Emperor Tenji 天智天皇
  2. The spring has gone, the summer’s come
    Haru sugite · Empress Jitō 持統天皇
  3. Long is the mountain pheasant’s tail
    Ashibiki no · Kakinomoto no Hitomaro 柿本人麻呂
  4. I started off along the shore
    Tago no ura ni · Yamabe no Akahito 山部赤人
  5. I hear the stag’s pathetic call
    Oku yama ni · Sarumaru Dayū 猿丸大夫
  6. When on the Magpies’ Bridge I see
    Kasasagi no · Ōtomo no Yakamochi 大伴 家持
  7. While gazing up into the sky
    Ama no hara · Abe no Nakamaro 阿倍仲麻呂
  8. My home is near the Capital
    Waga iho wa · Kisen 喜撰
  9. The blossom’s tint is washed away
    Hana no iro wa · Ono no Komachi 小野小町
  10. The stranger who has travelled far
    Kore ya kono · Semimaru 蝉丸
  11. Oh! Fishers in your little boats
    Wada no hara · Ono no Takamura 小野 篁
  12. Oh stormy winds, bring up the clouds
    Amatsu kaze · Henjō 遍昭
  13. The Mina stream comes tumbling down
    Tsukuba ne no · Emperor Yōzei 陽成天皇
  14. Ah! why does love distract my thoughts
    Michinoku no · Minamoto no Tōru 源 融
  15. Mother, for thy sake I have been
    Kimi ga tame · Emperor Kōkō 光孝天皇
  16. If breezes on Inaba’s peak
    Tachi wakare · Ariwara no Yukihira 在原 行平
  17. All red with leaves Tatsuta’s stream
    Chi haya furu · Ariwara no Narihira 在原 業平
  18. To-night on Sumi-no-ye beach
    Sumi-no-ye no · Fujiwara no Toshiyuki 藤原 敏行
  19. Short as the joints of bamboo reeds
    Naniwa gata · Ise no Miyasudokoro 伊勢の御息所
  20. We met but for a moment, and
    Wabi nureba · Prince Motoyoshi 元良親王
  21. The moon that shone the whole night through
    Ima kon to · Sosei 素性
  22. The mountain wind in autumn time
    Fuku kara ni · Fun'ya no Yasuhide 文屋 康秀
  23. This night the cheerless autumn moon
    Tsuki mireba · Ōe no Chisato 大江千里
  24. I bring no prayers on coloured silk
    Kono tabi wa · Sugawara no Michizane 菅原 道真
  25. I hear thou art as modest as
    Na ni shi owaba · Fujiwara no Sadakata 藤原定方
  26. The maples of Mount Ogura
    Ogura yama · Fujiwara no Tadahira 藤原 忠平
  27. Oh! rippling River Izumi
    Mika no hara · Fujiwara no Kanesuke 藤原兼輔
  28. The mountain village solitude
    Yama zato wa · Minamoto no Muneyuki 源 宗于
  29. It was a white chrysanthemum
    Kokoro-ate ni · Ōshikōchi no Mitsune 凡河内 躬恒
  30. I hate the cold unfriendly moon
    Ariake no · Mibu no Tadamine 壬生忠岑
  31. Surely the morning moon, I thought
    Asaborake · Sakanoue no Korenori 坂上是則
  32. The stormy winds of yesterday
    Yama gawa ni · Harumichi no Tsuraki 春道列樹
  33. The spring has come, and once again
    Hisakata no · Ki no Tomonori 紀 友則
  34. Gone are my old familiar friends
    Tare wo ka mo · Fujiwara no Okikaze 藤原 興風
  35. The village of my youth is gone
    Hito wa iza · Ki no Tsurayuki 紀 貫之
  36. Too short the lovely summer night
    Natsu no yo wa · Kiyohara no Fukayabu 清原 深養父
  37. This lovely morn the dewdrops flash
    Shira tsuyu ni · Fun'ya no Asayasu 文屋朝康
  38. My broken heart I don’t lament
    Wasuraruru · Ukon 右近
  39. ’Tis easier to hide the reeds
    Asajū no · Minamoto no Hitoshi 源等
  40. Alas! the blush upon my cheek
    Shinoburedo · Taira no Kanemori 平 兼盛
  41. Our courtship, that we tried to hide
    ⁠Koi su tefu · Mibu no Tadami 壬生忠見
  42. Our sleeves, all wet with tears, attest
    ⁠Chigiriki na · Kiyohara no Motosuke 清原 元輔
  43. How desolate my former life
    ⁠Ai-mite no · Fujiwara no Atsutada 藤原敦忠
  44. To fall in love with womankind
    ⁠Au koto no · Fujiwara no Asatada 藤原 朝忠
  45. I dare not hope my lady-love
    ⁠Aware to mo · Fujiwara no Koretada 藤原 伊尹
  46. The fishing-boats are tossed about
    Yura no to wo · Sone no Yoshitada 曾禰好忠
  47. My little temple stands alone
    ⁠Yaemugura · Egyō 恵慶
  48. The waves that dash against the rocks
    ⁠Kaze wo itami · Minamoto no Shigeyuki 源 重之
  49. My constancy to her I love
    ⁠Mikaki mori · Ōnakatomi no Yoshinobu 大中臣 能宣
  50. Death had no terrors, Life no joys
    ⁠Kimi ga tame · Fujiwara no Yoshitaka 藤原 義孝
  51. Though love, like blisters made from leaves
    ⁠Kaku to dani · Fujiwara no Sanekata 藤原実方
  52. Although I know the gentle night
    ⁠Akenureba · Fujiwara no Michinobu 藤原道信
  53. All through the long and dreary night
    ⁠Nageki-tsutsu · Fujiwara no Michitsuna no Haha 藤原道綱母
  54. How difficult it is for men
    ⁠Wasureji no · Takashina no Takako 高階貴子
  55. This waterfall’s melodious voice
    ⁠Taki no oto wa · Fujiwara no Kintō 藤原 公任
  56. My life is drawing to a close
    ⁠Arazaramu · Izumi Shikibu 和泉式部
  57. I wandered forth this moonlight night
    ⁠Meguri-aite · Murasaki Shikibu 紫式部
  58. As fickle as the mountain gusts
    ⁠Arima yama · Daini no Sanmi 大弐三位
  59. Waiting and hoping for thy step
    ⁠Yasurawade · Akazome Emon 赤染衛門
  60. So long and dreary is the road
    ⁠Ohoye yama · Koshikibu no Naishi 小式部内侍
  61. The double cherry trees, which grew
    ⁠Inishie no · Ise no Taifu 伊勢大輔
  62. Too long to-night you’ve lingered here
    ⁠Yo wo komete · Sei Shōnagon 清少納言
  63. If we could meet in privacy
    ⁠Ima wa tada · Fujiwara no Michimasa 藤原 道雅
  64. So thickly lies the morning mist
    ⁠Asaborake · Fujiwara no Sadayori 藤原定頼
  65. Be not displeased, but pardon me
    ⁠Urami wabi · Sagami 相模
  66. In lonely solitude I dwell
    ⁠Morotomo ni · Gyōson 行尊
  67. If I had made thy proffered arm
    ⁠Haru no yo no · Suō no Naishi 周防内侍
  68. If in this troubled world of ours
    ⁠Kokoro ni mo · Emperor Sanjō 三条天皇
  69. The storms, which round Mount Mimuro
    ⁠Arashi fuku · Tachibana no Nagayasu 橘永愷
  70. The prospect from my cottage shows
    ⁠Sabishisa ni · Ryōzen 良暹
  71. This autumn night the wind blows shrill
    ⁠Yūsareba · Minamoto no Tsunenobu 源経信
  72. The sound of ripples on the shore
    ⁠Oto ni kiku · Yūshi Naishinnō-ke no Kii 祐子内親王家紀伊
  73. The cherry trees are blossoming
    ⁠Takasago no · Ōe no Masafusa 大江 匡房
  74. Oh! Kwannon, Patron of this hill
    ⁠Ukari keru · Minamoto no Shunrai 源 俊頼
  75. It is a promise unfulfilled
    ⁠Chigiri okishi · Fujiwara no Mototoshi 藤原 基俊,
  76. When rowing on the open sea
    ⁠Wada no hara · Fujiwara no Tadamichi 藤原 忠通
  77. The rock divides the stream in two
    ⁠Se wo hayami · Emperor Sutoku 崇徳天皇
  78. Between Awaji and the shore
    ⁠Awaji shima · Minamoto no Kanemasa 源 兼昌
  79. See, how the wind of autumn drives
    ⁠Aki kaze ni · Fujiwara no Akisuke 藤原 顕輔
  80. My doubt about his constancy
    ⁠Nagakaran · Taikenmon'in no Horikawa 待賢門院堀河
  81. The cuckoo’s echo dies away
    ⁠Hototogisu · Tokudaiji Sanesada 徳大寺 実定
  82. How sad and gloomy is the world
    ⁠Omoi-wabi · Dōin 道因
  83. From pain and sorrow all around
    ⁠Yo no naka yo · Fujiwara no Shunzei 藤原 俊成
  84. Time was when I despised my youth
    ⁠Nagaraeba · Fujiwara no Kiyosuke 藤原清輔
  85. All through the never-ending night
    ⁠Yomosugara · Shun'e 俊恵
  86. O’ercome with pity for this world
    ⁠Nageke tote · Saigyō 西行
  87. The rain, which fell from passing showers
    ⁠Murasame no · Fujiwara no Sadanaga 藤原定長
  88. I’ve seen thee but a few short hours
    ⁠Naniwa e no · Kōka-mon'in no Bettō 皇嘉門院別当
  89. The ailments of advancing years
    ⁠Tama no o yo · Princess Shikishi 式子内親王
  90. The fisher’s clothes, though cheap, withstand
    ⁠Misebayana · Inpu-mon'in no Tayū 殷富門院大輔
  91. I’m sleeping all alone, and hear
    ⁠Kirigirisu · Kujō Yoshitsune 九条 良経
  92. My sleeve is wet with floods of tears
    ⁠Waga sode wa · Nijōin no Sanuki 二条院讃岐
  93. I love to watch the fishing-boats
    ⁠Yo no naka wa · Minamoto no Sanetomo 源 実朝
  94. Around Mount Miyoshino’s crest
    ⁠Miyoshino no · Asukai Masatsune 飛鳥井雅経
  95. Unfit to rule this wicked world
    ⁠Ōkenaku · Jien 慈円
  96. This snow is not from blossoms white
    ⁠Hana sasou · Saionji Kintsune 西園寺公経
  97. Upon the shore of Matsu-hō
    ⁠Konu hito wo · Fujiwara no Teika 藤原定家
  98. The twilight dim, the gentle breeze
    ⁠Kaze soyogu · Fujiwara no Ietaka 藤原家隆
  99. How I regret my fallen friends
    ⁠Hito mo oshi · Emperor Go-Toba 後鳥羽天皇
  100. My ancient Palace I regret
    Momoshiki ya · Emperor Juntoku 順徳天皇

INDEX

  • Ah! why does love distract my thoughts, 14.
  • Ai-mite no, 43.
  • Akenureba, 52.
  • Aki kaze ni, 79.
  • Aki no ta no, 1.
  • Alas! the blush upon my cheek, 40.
  • All red with leaves Tatsuta’s stream, 17.
  • All through the long and dreary night, 53.
  • All through the never-ending night, 85.
  • Although I know the gentle night, 52.
  • Ama no hara, 7.
  • Amatsu kaze, 12.
  • Arashi fuku, 69.
  • Arazaramu, 56.
  • Ariake no, 30.
  • Arima yama, 58.
  • Around Mount Miyoshino’s crest, 94.
  • Asaborake, 31, 64.
  • Asajū no, 39.
  • As fickle as the mountain gusts, 58.
  • Ashibiki no, 3.
  • Au koto no, 44.
  • Awaji shima, 78.
  • Aware to mo, 45.
  • Be not displeased, but pardon me, 65.
  • Between Awaji and the shore, 78.
  • Chigiriki na, 42.
  • Chigiri okishi, 75.
  • Chi haya furu, 17.
  • Death had no terrors, Life no joys, 50.
  • From pain and sorrow all around, 83.
  • Fuku kara ni, 22.
  • Gone are my old familiar friends, 34.
  • Hana no iro wa, 9.
  • Hana sasou, 96.
  • Haru no yo no, 67.
  • Haru sugite, 2.
  • Hisakata no, 33.
  • Hito mo oshi, 99.
  • Hito wa iza, 35.
  • Hototogisu, 81.
  • How desolate my former life, 43.
  • How difficult it is for men, 54.
  • How I regret my fallen friends, 99.
  • How sad and gloomy is the world, 82.
  • I bring no prayers on coloured silk, 24.
  • I dare not hope my lady-love, 45.
  • If breezes on Inaba’s peak, 16.
  • If I had made thy proffered arm, 67.
  • If in this troubled world of ours, 68.
  • If we could meet in privacy, 63.
  • I hate the cold unfriendly moon, 30.
  • I hear the stag’s pathetic call, 5.
  • I hear thou art as modest as, 25.
  • I love to watch the fishing-boats, 93.
  • Ima kon to, 21.
  • Ima wa tada, 63.
  • I’m sleeping all alone, and hear, 91.
  • Inishie no, 61.
  • In lonely solitude I dwell, 66.
  • I started off along the shore, 4.
  • It is a promise unfulfilled, 75.
  • It was a white chrysanthemum, 29.
  • I’ve seen thee but a few short hours, 88.
  • I wandered forth this moonlight night, 57.
  • Kaku to dani, 51.
  • Kasasagi no, 6.
  • Kaze soyogu, 98.
  • Kaze wo itami, 48.
  • Kimi ga tame, 15, 50.
  • Kirigirisu, 91.
  • Koi su tefu, 41.
  • Kokoro-ate ni, 29.
  • Kokoro ni mo, 68.
  • Kono tabi wa, 24.
  • Konu hito wo, 97.
  • Kore ya kono, 10.
  • Long is the mountain pheasant’s tail, 3.
  • Meguri-aite, 57.
  • Michinoku no, 14.
  • Mikaki mori, 49.
  • Mika no hara, 27.
  • Misebayana, 90.
  • Miyoshino no, 94.
  • Momoshiki ya, 100.
  • Morotomo ni, 66.
  • Mother, for thy sake I have been, 15.
  • Murasame no, 87.
  • My ancient Palace I regret, 100.
  • My broken heart I don’t lament, 38.
  • My constancy to her I love, 49.
  • My doubt about his constancy, 80.
  • My home is near the Capital, 8.
  • My life is drawing to a close, 56.
  • My little temple stands alone, 47.
  • My sleeve is wet with floods of tears, 92.
  • Nagakaran, 80.
  • Nagaraeba, 84.
  • Nageke tote, 86.
  • Nageki-tsutsu, 53.
  • Na ni shi owaba, 25.
  • Naniwa e no, 88.
  • Naniwa gata, 19.
  • Natsu no yo wa, 36.
  • O’ercome with pity for this world, 86.
  • Ogura yama, 26.
  • Oh! Fishers in your little boats, 11.
  • Oh! Kwannon, Patron of this hill, 74.
  • Oh! rippling River Izumi, 27.
  • Ohoye yama, 60.
  • Oh stormy winds, bring up the clouds, 12.
  • Ōkenaku, 95.
  • Oku yama ni, 5.
  • Omoi-wabi, 82.
  • Oto ni kiku, 72.
  • Our courtship, that we tried to hide, 41.
  • Our sleeves, all wet with tears, attest, 42.
  • Out in the fields this autumn day, 1.
  • Sabishisa ni, 70.
  • See, how the wind of autumn drives, 79.
  • Se wo hayami, 77.
  • Shinoburedo, 40.
  • Shira tsuyu ni, 37.
  • Short as the joints of bamboo reeds, 19.
  • So long and dreary is the road, 60.
  • So thickly lies the morning mist, 64.
  • Surely the morning moon, I thought, 31.
  • Sumi-no-ye no, 18.
  • Tachi wakare, 16.
  • Tago no ura ni, 4.
  • Takasago no, 73.
  • Taki no oto wa, 55.
  • Tama no o yo, 89.
  • Tare wo ka mo, 34.
  • The ailments of advancing years, 89.
  • The blossom’s tint is washed away, 9.
  • The cherry trees are blossoming, 73.
  • The cuckoo’s echo dies away, 81.
  • The double cherry trees, which grew, 61.
  • The fisher’s clothes, though cheap, withstand, 90.
  • The fishing-boats are tossed about, 46.
  • The maples of Mount Ogura, 26.
  • The Mina stream comes tumbling down, 13.
  • The moon that shone the whole night through, 21.
  • The mountain village solitude, 28.
  • The mountain wind in autumn time, 22.
  • The prospect from my cottage shows, 70.
  • The rain, which fell from passing showers, 87.
  • The rock divides the stream in two, 77.
  • The sound of ripples on the shore, 72.
  • The spring has come, and once again, 33.
  • The spring has gone, the summer ’s come, 2.
  • The storms, which round Mount Mimuro, 69.
  • The stormy winds of yesterday, 32.
  • The stranger who has travelled far, 10.
  • The twilight dim, the gentle breeze, 98.
  • The village of my youth is gone, 35.
  • The waves that dash against the rocks, 48.
  • This autumn night the wind blows shrill, 71.
  • This lovely morn the dewdrops flash, 37.
  • This night the cheerless autumn moon, 23.
  • This snow is not from blossoms white, 96.
  • This waterfall’s melodious voice, 55.
  • Though love, like blisters made from leaves, 51.
  • Time was when I despised my youth, 84.
  • ’Tis easier to hide the reeds, 39.
  • To fall in love with womankind, 44.
  • To-night on Sumi-no-ye beach, 18.
  • Too long to-night you’ve lingered here, 62.
  • Too short the lovely summer night, 36.
  • Tsuki mireba, 23.
  • Tsukuba ne no, 13.
  • Ukari keru, 74.
  • Unfit to rule this wicked world, 95.
  • Upon the shore of Matsu-hō, 97.
  • Urami wabi, 65.
  • Wabi nureba, 20.
  • Wada no hara, 11, 76.
  • Waga iho wa, 8.
  • Waga sode wa, 92.
  • Waiting and hoping for thy step, 59.
  • Wasuraruru, 38.
  • Wasureji no, 54.
  • We met but for a moment, and, 20.
  • When on the Magpies’ Bridge I see, 6.
  • When rowing on the open sea, 76.
  • While gazing up into the sky, 7.
  • Yaemugura, 47.
  • Yama gawa ni, 32.
  • Yama zato wa, 28.
  • Yasurawade, 59.
  • Yomosugara, 85.
  • Yo no naka wa, 93.
  • Yo no naka yo, 83
  • Yo wo komete, 62.
  • Yura no to wo, 46.
  • Yūsareba, 71.

Oxford: Printed at the Clarendon Press by Horace Hart, M.A.


This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.


The longest-living author of this work died in 1929, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 94 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.

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