Page:Anthology of Japanese Literature.pdf/320

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316 Muromachi Period


The moon! does it still Over fog-enshrouded fields Linger in the sky? Shōkaku	Autumn (moon). Dawn.
Meadows carpeted in frost— Autumn has drawn to a close. Sōchō	Autumn.
Heedless of the wishes Of piping insects, The grasses wither. Sōgi	Late autumn. The insects wish that the winter would not come.
When I visited my friend, How bare the path to his gate! Shōhaku	Late autumn. The grasses have withered, exposing the path.
Remote villages— Have the storms still to reach you Deep in the mountains? Sōchō	Late autumn. Villages so remote that winter has yet to reach them.
In unfamiliar dwellings Is loneliness and sorrow Sōgi	Emotional verse leading from loneliness of remote villages.
Now is not the time To be thinking of yourself As one all alone. Shōhaku	Buddhist rebuke (or consolation?) for emotion expressed.
Did you not know beforehand That all things must fade away? Sōchō	Impermanence. Buddhist sentiment continued.
The dew grieves for its Early passing and grieves for The flower that stays. Sōgi	Impermanence. The dew is shorter-lived even than the flower it clings to. Parable for man and the things of beauty in the world. Spring.