37. Asayasu Bunya: Bunya no Asayasu
37
ASAYASU BUNYA
BUNYA NO ASAYASU
Shira tsuyu ni
Kaze no fukishiku
Aki no no wa
Tsuranuki-tomenu
Tama zo chiri keru.
Kaze no fukishiku
Aki no no wa
Tsuranuki-tomenu
Tama zo chiri keru.
THIS lovely morn the dewdrops flash
Like diamonds on the grass—
A blaze of sparkling jewels! But
The autumn wind, alas!
Scatters them as I pass.
Asayasu, the son of the author of verse No. 22, lived about the end of the ninth century. He is said to have composed this verse at the request of the Emperor Daigo in the year 900. To liken the dewdrops to jewels or beads (tama) is typical of Japanese verse. The picture shows the grass, and the dewdrops scattered on the ground in front of the poet.