Hyakunin Isshu: Meet the Poets
Upper Counselor Kintō

Meaning

The sound of the waterfall has long since faded, but its name flows on and is still heard by the world.

Commentary

This poem was composed at the ruins of the Saga Detached Palace, where a famous waterfall once ran. The contrast between the silenced water and the persisting fame is elegantly rendered. "Name flows" (na koso nagare te) is a pun on the flow of water and the flow of reputation down through time.

Fujiwara no Kintō was one of the most accomplished cultural figures of the mid-Heian period — poet, musician, critic, and anthologist. He compiled the Wakan Rōeishū and wrote the influential poetry treatise Shinsen Zuinō. His breadth of talent made him the defining arbiter of taste in his era.

Learn More