Old Poets and School Reading ~ Haiku of Japan

in Blockchain Poets9 days ago (edited)

I was reading something today and a very old and famous poem from Narihisa showed up. His old poem also brought this haiku about him to mind.

業平の歌よりはじむ夏期講座
narihira no uta yori hajimu kaki kōza

summer classes
begin with a poem
by Narihira
—Ozawa Katsumi

(trans. David LaSpina[1])


Narihira watching the birds on the Sumida River by Hiroshige



I think we all remember that feeling of dread in high school upon learning we’d be studying some old, archaic poem in English class. It's likely that many students in Japan can relate to this feeling.

The name mentioned in the haiku is Arihara no Narihira (在原 業平), one of the most famous poets in Japanese history. Narihira is considered one of the Six Poetic Geniuses, is featured in the Hyakunin Isshu (百人一首), a very famous collection of poems, as well as having many poems featured in other imperial anthologies. All the kind of stuff that makes him required reading in school.

But it's not all boring. Besides poetry, Narihira is renowned for his many love affairs. It is said he had an affair with the high priestess of Ise Grand Shrine, as well as famed poetess Ono no Komachi, and with the emperor's consort, Fujiwara no Takaiko, an act that caused a big scandal and got him in so much trouble that he fled east for a time. The Tales of Ise, a collection of poems and stories which he inspired, suggests that he fathered Emperor Yōzai. To this day, he still appears in media as the model handsome, amorous nobleman.

He died in 880 at the age of 54/55, and his death poem reflects his shock at his sudden end.

つひにゆく道とはかねて聞きしかど昨日今日とは思はざりしを
tsui ni yuku michi to wa kanete kikishikado
kinō kyō to wa omouwazarishi wo

although I had
heard of the road
we all must travel in the end—
yet I never thought
it would come for me so soon


Looking for the ghost of Ono no Komachi by Yoshitoshi

Also published on my website

Hi there! David is an American teacher and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. He blogs here and at laspina.org. Write him on Mastodon.

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  1. That is, me! If you like this translation, feel free to use it. Just credit me. Also link here if you can.

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awwwww, he dies before his time.. at least he is remembered as one of the greats! 😉😎

And he probably will be remembered for a long time. That's quite impressive.

I haven't looked at a map in a while, how much further east can you go than Japan? I didn't mind the old stuff when I was in school, but I did struggle a bit with Walden Pond. Was that Thoreau?

I don't think there is anything else until the date line and then Hawaii.

Yep, that was Thoreau. I love Walden—one of my favorite books! It was a tough read the first time I went through it though, absolutely.

Maybe I need to circle back to it again one day.

I value the information you gave on Narihira – his romantic life appears to be as dramatic as his poetry! The fact that he is still a cultural icon today, despite dying centuries ago, says much about his influence. Especially touching, his posthumous poetry emphasizes the universality of mortality and the unpredictability of death.

Your translations of the haiku are also excellent. Clearly, this is a labor of love, and the outcome is a lovely and approachable work of art. Learning David LaSpina translating Japanese poems was quite fascinating also. Thanks for passing along this brilliant and well written article.

I read somewhere that Hikaru Genji must be based on Narihira.
He's a lady's man.
His Chihayaburu poem (Hyakunnin Isshu 17) reflects that as well... to some extent. XD

Yeah, scholars often debate that point. Minamoto no Tōru is another name often thought to have inspired Genji, or he might have been a combination of both.

I'm not familiar with him, but when I searched he is also a part of Hyakunnin Isshu (14).

That must be the case... Only Murasaki Shikibu knows the truth, though.. hihi ✌️🩵

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