One of the most famous and recognizable poems in the Hyakunin Isshu is poem 17:

Japanese	Romanization	Translation
千早ぶる	Chihayaburu	Unheard of
神代もきかず	Kamiyo mo kikazu	even in the legendary age
龍田川がわ	Tatsuta-gawa	of the awesome gods:
からくれなゐいに	Karakurenai ni	Tatsuta River in scarlet
水みずくくるとは	Mizu kukuru to wa	and the water flowing under it.

The poet, Ariwara no Narihara Ason (在原業平朝臣, 825 – 990) or “Sir Ariwara no Narihara”, was the closest thing to a poetic genius during his time, and this poem is a prime example. Originally published in the Imperial anthology, the Kokin Wakashū, as poem number 294, it is considered one of the most iconic of the one-hundred Hyakunin Isshu poems.

Narihara is also credited for writing what is considered the greatest Waka poem on cherry blossoms (桜, sakura) ever composed:

Japanese	Romanization	Translation
世の中に	Yo no naka ni	If in all the world
絶えて桜の	Taete sakura no	there were of cherry blossoms
なかりせば	Kanariseba	no trace anywhere
春の心は	Haru no kokoro wa	ah, how truly peaceful then
のどけからまし	Nodokekaramashi	spring would be for everyone!

Not surprisingly, Narihira was thus considered one of the Six Immortals of Poetry.

Returning to this poem, there is a lot to unpack. The imagery of red, autumn leaves flowing along the river provides a very memorable contrast. The Tatsuta-gawa River can be found in modern-day Nara Prefecture, and is a scenic, gentle flowing river near the town of Ikaruka. I’d love to see it someday. I cover more about the Tatsuta-gawa River and iconic Mt Mimuro in poem 69, but several poems in the Kokin Wakashū anthology also refer to fall leaves floating on it.

Also, it should be noted that the fourth line is an example of a traditional Japanese color word.

Lastly, the opening line of this poem, chihayaburu, is a prime example of “pillow words” in Japanese poetry. It literally means something like “a thousand swift swords”, but really is an honorific epithet when referring to the gods, similar to how Homer used to use special epithets for each of the Olympian gods. Nevertheless, it’s a famous line, and can be found in Waka poetry written even in modern times, and is also the title of the popular manga exploring the Hyakunin Isshu card game.

If there is one poem worth learning in all the Hyakunin Isshu, I would argue, it is this one.