66. The Archbishop Gyōson: Daisōjō Gyōson
66
THE ARCHBISHOP GYŌSON
DAISŌJŌ GYŌSON
Morotomo ni
Aware to omoe
Yama zakura
Hana yori hoka ni
Shiru hito mo nashi.
Aware to omoe
Yama zakura
Hana yori hoka ni
Shiru hito mo nashi.
IN lonely solitude I dwell,
No human face I see;
And so we two must sympathize,
Oh mountain cherry tree;
I have no friend but thee.
The Archbishop is said to have ended his life in the year 1135, by the method described in the note to verse No. 12. The scene of this poem was the sacred mountain Ōmine, in the Province of Yamato, famous for its cherry blossoms, and the illustration shows the Priest with his two attendants addressing the cherry tree.