Hyakunin Isshu: Meet the Poets
Ukon

Meaning

I do not grieve for myself, though I am forgotten. But I worry for you — you who swore an oath. What will become of you?

Commentary

This poem can be read either as a lament against a lover who has changed their heart, or as an expression of enduring love despite betrayal. As a result, interpretations of the poem differ.

Ukon was a court lady who served in the imperial household. Her single poem in the Hyakunin Isshu is remarkable for its emotional complexity: it reads simultaneously as an expression of love, a prayer, and a veiled warning. Few poems in the collection say so much within such a small space.

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