A Hundred Verses from Old Japan/Poem 31

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4380349A Hundred Verses from Old Japan — Poem 31William Ninnis PorterSakanoue no Korenori

31


SAKA-NO-UYE NO KORENORI

Asaborake
Ariake no tsuki to
Miru made ni
Yoshino no sato ni
Fureru shira yuki.


KORENORI SAKA-NO-UYE

Surely the morning moon, I thought,
Has bathed the hill in light;
But, no; I see it is the snow
That, falling in the night,
Has made Yoshino white.


Little is known about this poet, but he is said to have lived some time in the tenth century. Yoshino is a mountain village in the Province of Yamato, famous for its cherry blossoms; at one time it contained the Imperial Summer Palace. In the illustration we see the poet looking across at the village on the hills all covered with snow.