Cherry blossoms,
scatter and hide it,
that road they say
old age comes by–
make him lose his way!
translated by Hiroaki Sato & Burton Watson
Ariwara No Narihira
To a lady glimpsed in a carriage by Ariwara No Narihira
Seen, and yet not seen–
that such a one could be
so longed for–
today I spent the whole day
hopelessly gazing
translated by Hiroaki Sato & Burton Watson
Ariwara No Narihira on aging
In the end I find
I take no pleasure in the moon–
these very moons,
when they pile up,
are what brings us to old age!
translated by Hiroaki Sato & Burton Watson
Ariwara No Narihira on cherry blossoms
If there were no such thing
as cherry blossoms
in this world,
in springtime how untroubled
our hearts would be!
translated by Hiroaki Sato & Burton Watson
a tanka by Ariwara No Narihira
Though winds blow,
coloring the
autumn bush clover,
my heart is no grass or leaf
that changes hue
a tanka by Ariwara No Narihara
In the end
that’s the road I’ll travel–
I’ve known it all along–
but I didn’t think I’d have to start
this very day
translated by Burton Watson
Leonard Durso 