Episode 51

A poem a man wrote when he planted chrysanthemums in someone’s garden long ago.

植ゑし植ゑば秋なき時や咲くかざらむ
　　　　花こそ散らめ根さへ枯れめや

I planted them with care.
If there is no autumn, will they bloom?
The flowers may fall,
but will even the roots wither away?

Episode 52

A long time ago, there was a man.
One day, he received a kasanari chimaki from someone.
In reply, he wrote:

菖蒲刈君は沼にぞまどひける　　　　　　
　　　我は野に出でて狩るぞわびしき

"While cutting irises, you got lost in the marsh.
I went out to the field to hunt, and you must have been disappointed."

Then, he sent a pheasant.

 

Explanation

A chimaki is a traditional Japanese food made by wrapping sticky rice and other ingredients in bamboo leaves and steaming it.
A kasanari chimaki is two chimaki placed on one leaf.

When a pheasant hides, it lowers its head,
but its tail sticks out from the grass.
This means "hiding the head but not the tail,"
which implies that your true intention is clearly visible.

Episode 53

A long time ago, a man finally met a woman he could not easily see.
While they were talking in bed, the first rooster crowed.
So he composed this poem:

いかでかは鶏の鳴くらむ人知れず
　　思ふ心はまだ夜深きに
"Why does the rooster crow?
No one knows how I feel.
My heart still feels it is the middle of the night."

Episode 54

A long time ago, a man sent a poem to a cold-hearted woman.
He wrote:

　行きやらぬ夢路を頼む袂には
　　天つ空なる露や置くらむ
"I dream of a path to you,
but I can never reach it.
My sleeves are wet with tears.
Is it dew from the sky,
or just my sadness?"

 

Episode 55

A long time ago, a man fell in love with a woman.
But then he understood that she would never be with him.
So he sent her this poem:

思はずはありもすめらど言の葉の
　　をりふしごとに頼まるゝかな
"You probably don’t love me.
But whenever I read your words,
I start to hope again."

Episode 56

A long time ago, a man kept thinking of someone - both when he was asleep and when he was awake.

Finally, he could no longer contain his emotions and wrote this poem:

わが袖は草の庵にあらねども

暮るれば露の宿りなりけり

"My sleeves are not part of a grass-thatched hut,

however, when night falls,

they become a resting place for dew,

and are drenched in tears."

 

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All the illustrations are from illustAC. and PhotoAC  I have a paid membership and follow their rules, so there are no copyright problems.
The writing is my own English translation of a Japanese story from the 10th century.
Please do not copy or use it.