Meet the Poets of Hyakunin Isshu
Archbishop Henjō

Meaning

Heavenly wind, please close the path through the clouds! I want to keep the celestial maidens here a little longer.

Commentary

This poem was composed when the poet watched the "Dance of the Five Maidens" performed at the Harvest Festival — a sacred court dance in which young women served as heavenly maidens. He imagined the dancers as celestial beings and longed to keep watching them forever.

Archbishop Henjō is best known as a Buddhist monk, but at the time he composed this poem he had not yet taken holy orders; he was still a nobleman serving at court.

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