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Audio: NHK Creative Library
Read by LibriVox volunteer Larry Wilson.
Audio courtesy of LibriVox (Public Domain).
平兼盛
忍ぶれど
色に出でにけり
我が恋は
物や思ふと
人の問ふまで
ものやおも
ふとひとの
とふまて
しの
- Poem 40
- 忍ぶれど
色に出でにけり
我が恋は
物や思ふと 人の問ふまで
Author: Taira no Kanemori (dates unknown–990)
Source: Shūi Wakashū, Love
- English Verse Translation
- Alas! the blush upon my cheek, Conceal it as I may, Proclaims to all that I'm in love,
Till people smile and say— "Where are thy thoughts to-day?"
— William N. Porter, 1909
- Modern Translation
- Though I tried to keep it secret, my love showed itself on my face — to the point where people asked if something was on my mind.
- Commentary
- This poem was composed for the "Tentoku Poetry Contest at the Imperial Palace," on the set theme of "love not yet met." It was a close contest against a poem by Mibu no Tadami. In the end, Taira no Kanemori's poem was declared the winner — reportedly because Emperor Murakami himself was overheard humming its opening line, "shinoburedo…"
- About the Poet
- Taira no Kanemori was a great-great-grandson of Emperor Kōkō, but was removed from the imperial family and took the Taira surname. His name resembles that of Taira no Kiyomori, but he belonged to a different branch from Kiyomori's Ise Taira line. He is also sometimes said to have been the father of Akazome Emon, thought to be the author of A Tale of Flowering Fortunes, though this has not been confirmed.
- Taira no Kanemori's Chart of the Heart
-
A chart and a modern-language reflection of the poet's inner feelings.
The Poet's Feelings (A Personal Interpretation)
We haven't even spoken yet,
but my heart is already drawn to you.This love I meant to keep hidden
has shown itself in the color of my cheeks.
- Poem Illustration
-
This image is based on an illustration from William N. Porter's A Hundred Verses from Old Japan, his 1909 English translation of the Hyakunin Isshu published in England, colorized and reworked using Adobe Firefly (generative AI).