Back to our regularly scheduled program, I wanted to share a neat little poem, composed by none other than Princess Nukata using the theme of Autumn and of a night tryst:
| Original Manyogana | Modern Japanese | Romanization | Rough Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 君待跡 | 君待つと | Kimi matsu to | As I wait for you |
| 吾戀居者 | 我が恋ひをれば | A ga koi oreba | in anticipation |
| 我屋戸乃 | 我が宿戸の | A ga yado no | the blinds |
| 簾令動 | 簾動かし | Sudare ugokashi | of my window flutter |
| 秋之風吹 | 秋の風吹く | Aki no kaze fuku | but it is only the autumn breeze… |
Princess Nukata needs little introduction in the blog. She was the love interest of two powerful men, issued a call to war, and made quite a contribution to the Manyoshu anthology which the Hyakunin Isshu and other later anthologies are all based upon. My book about the Manyoshu, in talking about spring versus fall, listed this poem as an early, early example in Japanese poetry of using autumn to symbolize other things. In this case, a romantic meeting at night, and a woman who eagerly awaits her lover. The blinds alluded to here are sudaré blinds used in Japanese culture since antiquity and even to this day.
Beyond that, it’s just a neat poem.
Happy Autumn everyone! 🍁
P.S. There is still time to register for the Professor Mostow online lecture at the UW on October 23rd!
The Hyakunin Isshu 
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