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Audio: NHK Creative Library
Read by LibriVox volunteer Larry Wilson.
Audio courtesy of LibriVox (Public Domain).
皇太后宮大夫俊成
世の中よ
道こそなけれ
思ひ入る
山の奥にも
鹿ぞ鳴くなる
やまのおく
にもしかそ
なくなる
よのなかよ
- Poem 83
- 世の中よ
道こそなけれ
思ひ入る
山の奥にも 鹿ぞ鳴くなる
Author: Fujiwara no Shunzei (1114–1204)
Source: Senzai Wakashū, Miscellaneous
- English Verse Translation
- From pain and sorrow all around There's no escape, I fear; To mountain wilds should I
retreat, There also I should hear The cry of hunted deer.
— William N. Porter, 1909
- Modern Translation
- There is no escape from this world. Even deep in the mountains, the deer cry out.
- Commentary
- Shunzei composed this poem around the age of twenty-seven, at a time when the Heian period was drawing to its close. As many of his contemporaries were taking Buddhist vows, Shunzei too may have entered the mountains, contemplating renunciation of the world. But hearing the mournful cry of a stag deep in the mountains, he seems to have realized that there was, after all, no path by which to escape his troubles.
- About the Poet
- Fujiwara no Shunzei, Master of the Empress Dowager's Household, was the father of Fujiwara no Teika, who compiled the Hyakunin Isshu, and is known as the compiler of the Senzai Wakashū. He served as judge in numerous poetry contests, and in his critiques frequently used the terms "yūgen" (mysterious depth) and "en" (elegant charm). His aesthetic sensibility left a lasting mark not only on waka poetry, but on Japanese culture more broadly, influencing the tea ceremony and Noh theater as well.
- Master of the Empress Dowager's Household Toshinari'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)
Even deep in the quiet mountains,
this sorrow refuses to disappear.The echoing cry of the deer
softly speaks of this world's fleeting nature.
- 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).