No. 17 Autumn At Tatta River
9th century. Narihira is known as one of the six best waka poets, and one of the thirty six poet immortals. His affair with Fujiwara no Takaiko, a consort to the Emperor was a big scandal, referred to in the Tales of Ise. http://www.amazon.com/Tales-Ise-Lyrical-Episodes-Tenth-Century/dp/0804706530
Autumn At Tatta River
I have never heard
That, e’en when the gods held sway
In the ancient days,
E’er was water bound with red
Such as here in Tatta’s stream.
Ason Narihira
Chihayaburu
Kami yo mo kikazu
Tatsuta gawa
Kara-kurenai ni
Mizu kukuru to wa.
Ariwara no Narihira Ason
About this poetry
At Salty Dog Digital we’ve decided to gradually republish Clay MacCauley’s translation of Single Songs of a Hundred Poets – a collection of japanese poetry from the seventh through thirteenth centuries. Sixty four of these poems are the rewards in our game fourtex zen.
No.18 Secret Love
No.16 Promise at Parting