akikaze no fuku as the autumn wind blows.60
Anonymous
176
Topic unknown.
koikoite Longing and longing
au yo wa koyoi tonight at last we meet:
Ama no kawa may the mist rise thick
kiri tachiwatari on the River of Heaven
akezu mo aranamu and keep the day from dawning.61
Anonymous
222
Topic unknown.
hagi no tsuyu Should I pluck the drops of dew
tama ni nukamu to to thread as jewels
toreba kenu they’d vanish:
yoshi mimu hito wa best see them as they are,
eda nagara miyo set on boughs of clover.62
Anonymous
Some say that the preceding poem was composed by the Nara emperor.
223
Topic unknown.
orite miba If I were to bend a bough
ochizo shinu beki to pluck it
akihagi no they must surely scatter:
eda mo tawawa ni trembling drops of dew
okeru shiratsuyu on autumn bush clover.63
Anonymous
Autumn 2
256
On seeing autumn leaves on Otowa Mountain while visiting Ishiyama.
akikaze no From that first day
fukinishi hi yori the winds of autumn sounded,
Otowayama the tips of trees on
mine no kozue mo Otowa Mountain’s peak
irozukinikeri were turning color.64
Ki no Tsurayuki
257
Composed for a poetry contest at the house of Prince Koresada.
shiratsuyu no White dew
iro wa hitotsu o all of a single color:
ika ni shite how then does it dye
aki no ko no ha o the leaves of autumn
chiji ni somuramu a thousand different shades?65
Fujiwara no Toshiyuki66
258
Composed for a poetry contest at the house of Prince Koresada.
aki no yo no As the dew of autumn’s night
tsuyu o ba tsuyu to settles in place,
oki nagara will the falling tears
kari no namida ya of wild geese
nobe o somuramu dye the fields yet deeper?67
Mibu no Tadamine68
259
Topic unknown.
aki no tsuyu Surely the autumn dew
iroiro koto ni must have its varied ways
okeba koso to turn the mountain’s leaves
yama no ko no ha no so many shades
chigusa narurame of color.69
Anonymous
266
Composed for a poetry contest at the house of Prince Koresada.
akigiri wa Let no autumn mist
kesa wa tachi ni so rise this morning,
Saoyama no that I might at least from afar
hahaso no momiji see the colored leaves
yoso nite mo mimu of the oaks of Mount Sao.70
Anonymous
274
Composed on a figure of a person waiting, beside chrysanthemum blossoms, for another person.
hana mitsutsu Looking at flowers,
hito matsu toki wa waiting for my love
shirotae no I took the blossoms
sode ka to nomi zo for the white
ayamatarekeru sleeve of his gown.71
Ki no Tomonori72
284
Topic unknown.
momijiba nagaru flush with red leaves:
Kamunabi no autumn showers must be
Mimuro no yama ni falling on Mimuro Mountain
shigure furu rashi in Kamunabi.73
Anonymous
A variant text reads “Asuka River is flush with red leaves …”
289
Topic unknown.
aki no tsuki Does the autumn moon
yamabe sayaka ni cast its light so starkly
teraseru wa on the mountain’s edge
otsuru momiji no that we may count
kazu o miyo to ka each colored leaf that falls?74
Anonymous
290
Topic unknown.
fuku kaze no The gusting wind
iro no chigusa ni shows itself
mietsuru wa in a cloak of many colors:
aki no ko no ha no a scattering of
chireba narikeri autumn leaves.75
Anonymous
291
Topic unknown.
shimo no tate Warp of frost, weft of dew,
tsuyu no nuki koso these must be weak indeed:
yowakarashi no sooner are they woven than
yama no nishiki no the mountain’s brocades
oreba katsu chiru scatter in shreds.76
Sekio77
297
Composed during a visit to the northern hills to pick autumn leaves.
mini hito mo They must fall
nakute chirinuru with no one to see them:
okuyama no red leaves of autumn
momiji wa yoru no deep in the mountains
nishiki narikeri like brocades worn by night.78
Ki no Tsurayuki
305
Composed and presented in response to an imperial command for a folding screen at Teiji-in depicting a person standing beneath falling autumn leaves, beside a halted horse, about to ford a river.
tachitomari Let me pause to watch
mite o wataramu before I cross:
momijiba wa though they fall like rain
ame to furu tomo the red leaves
mizu wa masaraji will not swell the river’s waters.79
Ōshikōchi no Mitsune
306
Composed for a poetry contest at the house of Prince Koresada.
yamada moru The dew that settles
aki no kariio ni on a makeshift hut
oku tsuyu wa in this mountain field:
inaoosedori no tears shed by the
namida narikeri rice-bearing bird.80
Mibu no Tadamine
Travel
409
Topic unknown.
honobono to Into the mist, glowing with dawn,
Akashi no ura no across the Bay of Akashi
asagiri ni a boat carries my thoughts
shimagakure yuku into hiding,
fune o shi zo omou islands beyond.81
Anonymous
Some say that the preceding poem was composed by Kakinomoto no Hitomaro.
Love 2
571
From the empress’s poetry contest in the Kanpyō era.
koishiki ni If in despair of love
wabite tamashii my soul should wander,
madoinaba am I to be remembered
munashiki kara no as one who left
na ni ya nokoramu a corpse in vain?82
Anonymous
572
From the empress’s poetry contest in the Kanpyō era.
kimi kouru If not for the tears
namida shi naku wa my loved one makes me shed,
karakoromo this fine Chinese robe would be
mune no atari wa singed round the breast
iro moenamashi with the colors of passion.83
Ki no Tsurayuki
Love 3
635
Topic unknown.
aki no yo mo Autumn nights, long
na nomi narikeri only in name:
au to ieba let’s meet, we say,
koto zo to mo naku yet dawn comes to part us
akenuru mono o before we’ve begun.84
Ono no Komachi85
636
Topic unknown.
nagashi to mo For me, not long
omoi zo hatenu enough at all:
mukashi yori autumn nights have always
au hito kara no taken their measure
aki no yo nareba from the depths of one’s love.86
Ōshikōchi no Mitsune
637
Topic unknown.
shinonome no Just as the morning sky
hogara hogara to is brightening to dawn,
akeyukeba how sad that we must
ono ga kinuginu sort our robes
naru zo kanashiki and part.87
Anonymous
638
Topic unknown.
akenu tote Dawn has come—
ima wa no kokoro I resign myself to parting:
tsuku kara ni why then must thoughts
nado iishiranu I can’t find words for
omoi souramu cling to my heart?88
Fujiwara no Kunitsune
639
From the empress’s poetry contest in the Kanpyō era.
akenu tote Dawn has come—
kaeru michi ni wa on the path home from love
kokitarete I am drenched:
ame mo namida mo rainfall swelling
furisohochitsutsu my falling tears.89
Fujiwara no Toshiyuki
640
Topic unknown.
shinonome no I begin to cry
wakare o oshimi regret for our parting
ware zo mazu even before the rooster
tori yori saki ni crows the break
nakihajimetsuru of dawn.90
Utsuku
645
When Narihira visited the province of Ise, he met, secretly, the person who was serving as the high priestess. The next morning, before he was able to find a way to send her a message, this poem was delivered from the woman.
kimi ga koshi Did you come to me?
ware ya yukikemu Did I visit you?
omooezu I cannot know.
yume ka utsutsu ka Dream? Reality?
nete ka samete ka Was I asleep or awake?
Anonymous
646
Reply.
kakikurasu I wandered, too,
kokoro no yami ni in heart-blinding darkness:
madoiniki was it dream
yume utsutsu to wa or reality?
yohito sadame yo Let others decide.
Ariwara no Narihira91
Love 5
797
Topic unknown.
iro miede Not changing color
utsurou mono wa yet fading all the same:
yo no naka no such is the flower of
hito no kokoro no the heart of one in
hana ni zo arikeru this world of love.
In an equally plausible reading of the ambiguous verb miete, the same poem might be translated as
iro miete All too visibly
utsurou mono wa its color fades:
yo no naka no the flower of the heart
hito no kokoro no of one passing through
hana ni zo arikeru this world of love.92
Ono no Komachi
Mourning
832
Composed after the Horikawa chancellor died and his remains were interred near Mount Fukakusa.
Fukakusa no If cherry trees indeed
nobe no sakura shi have feelings, may those
kokoro araba of the fields of Fukakusa
kotoshi bakari wa this year, at least,
sumizome ni sake shroud themselves in black blossoms.93
Kamutsuke no Mineo
Miscellaneous Topics 2
947
Topic unknown.
izuku ni ka Where might I find
yo o ba itowamu distaste for this world?
kokoro koso In pastures and hills alike
no ni mo yama ni mo my heart yearns
madoubera nare to stray.94
Sosei95
981
Topic unknown.
iza koko ni So be it, let me
waga yo wa henamu live out my life
Sugawara ya here in Sugawara Fushimi,
Fushimi no sato no lest my old home go
aremaku mo oshi sadly to ruin.96
Anonymous
982
Topic unknown.
waga io wa My house is
Miwa no yamamoto at the foot of Miwa Mountain:
koishiku wa should fondness call,
toburaikimase please visit the gate
sugi tateru kado where cedars stand.
Anonymous
983
Topic unknown.
waga io wa Dwelling to the east
miyako no tatsumi and south of the capital,
shika zo sumu in Uji Hills I live:
yo o ujiyama to some say I’ve forsaken
hito wa iu nari their sad world.
Monk Kisen97
Miscellaneous Forms (haikai)
1015
Topic unknown.
mutsugoto mo Words and acts
mada tsukinaku ni of love yet undone
akenumeri and now, too soon, it’s dawn:
izura wa aki no what of those “long
nagashi chou yo wa autumn nights”?98
Ōshikōchi no Mitsune
1038
Topic unknown.
omou chou If only I could creep
hito no kokoro no into each corner
kuma goto ni of the heart of the one
tachikakuretsutsu who says she loves me
miru yoshi mo ga na and keep watch.99
Anonymous
[Introduction and translations by Lewis Cook]
THE BIRTH OF VERNACULAR PROSE FICTION
The monogatari, or vernacular tale, emerged in the latter half of the ninth century together with the kana syllabary. The earliest extant example is The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (Taketori monogatari, ca. 909), considered in The Tale of Genji to be the ancestor of the monogatari. The monogatari, which originally meant “desultory conversation,” can be traced back to the early chronicles (Kojiki, Nihon shoki) and the provincial gazetteers (fudoki)—with their myths, histories, and clan legends—as well as to the practice of oral storytelling, which led to anecdotal (setsuwa) literature. The most important development in the birth of the monogatari, however, was the use of kana, which allowed for complex psychological description and eventually resulted in The Tale of Genji, now considered by many to be the world’s first psychological novel.
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter begins with the set phrase ima wa mukashi (now it was long ago) and ends with to zo iitsutaetaru (and so it has been passed on), thus preserving, at least in outline, the traditional storytelling conventions found in setsuwa. But in contrast to setsuwa, which claimed to tell the truth, monogatari are admittedly fictional. They may be based on historical events, but they do not purport to be faithful to history. Nonetheless, as noted in the famous defense of fiction in the “Fireflies” (Hotaru) chapter of The Tale of Genji, monogatari were often more accurate than the highly regarded historical chronicles in their depiction of people’s personal lives, emotions, and thoughts. Unlike such setsuwa collections as the Nihon ryōiki and the later Konjaku monogatari shū, which often were written to educate the audience in the Buddhist way, the Heian monogatari had no overt didactic purpose.
Monogatari are generally aristocratic in content, depicting the lives of the nobility at court and in the capital. They were written for and by the aristocracy, probably by middle-rank scholar nobles who had considerable exposure to both Japanese poetry and Chinese fiction. Today, monogatari are divided into two major types: the “fabricated tale” (tsukuri monogatari), represented by The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, The Tale of Ochikubo (Ochikubo monogatari), and The Tale of the Hollow Tree (Utsubo monogatari), and the “poem tale” (uta-monogatari), epitomized by The Tales of Ise (Ise monogatari), The Tales of Yamato (Yamato monogatari), and The Tales of Heichū (Heichū monogatari). Fabricated tales describe fantastic and miraculous events, often involving a journey to an “other world.” In contrast, poem tales are stories about poetry and tend to be about love, the four seasons, and nature, the central topics of waka. Both types generally revolve around the topic of love, particularly the private relationships between men and women. The Tale of Genji, written in the early eleventh century and considered the bes
t of the Heian monogatari, skillfully combines both types of monogatari with the women’s tradition of diary writing.
In the tenth century, when monogatari first flourished, the aristocracy did not consider them serious literature, regarding them as a genre written for women and children. (The most important literature was the historical chronicles and poetry, and the most prestigious writing system was Chinese.) As the preface to the Illustration of the Three Jewels (Sanbōe-kotoba, 984) reveals, the Buddhist clergy had an even more negative view of monogatari, condemning them as fiction and lies. One consequence is that we do not know the names of the authors of any of the monogatari written before The Tale of Genji. By the early thirteenth century, however, The Tales of Ise, The Tale of Genji, and The Tale of Sagoromo had achieved—at least among the leading poets of the day, such as Fujiwara no Shunzei and Fujiwara no Teika—canonical status, not as fiction, but as guides to and narratives of the thirty-one-syllable waka, the most prestigious of the vernacular genres.
THE TALE OF THE BAMBOO CUTTER (TAKETORI MONOGATARI, CA. 909)
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (Taketori monogatari), referred to in The Tale of Genji as the “parent of the monogatari,” was written around 909. It can be divided into four sections: (1) the story of the poor woodcutter who becomes rich as a result of a miraculous birth; (2) the stories of the five suitors, each of whom unsuccessfully courts the shining princess; (3) the courtship of the shining princess by the emperor; and (4) the return of the shining princess to the moon.
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter drew heavily on existing legends and folktales, particularly in regard to the story of the bamboo cutter, his discovery of the shining princess, and her return to the moon. In the feathered robe (hagoromo) legend, which appears in the earlier provincial gazetteers (Suruga fudoki and Ōmi fudoki), a heavenly lady descends to earth and her feathered robe is taken away, preventing her from returning to heaven. She then recovers the robe, which has celestial power, and returns to heaven. The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter also is a story of the origins of words and place-names (such as that of Mount Fuji), a convention found as early as in the fudoki in the ancient period.