A Hundred Verses from Old Japan (The Hyakunin-isshu), tr. by William N. Porter, [1909], at sacred-texts.com
A Hundred Verses from Old Japan (The Hyakunin-isshu), tr. by William N. Porter, [1909], at sacred-texts.com
’TIS easier to hide the reeds
Upon the moor that grow,
Than try to hide the ardent love
That sets my cheeks aglow
For somebody I know.
Little is known of this poet, except that he lived some time in the tenth century.
Note the word shinowara, meaning 'a bamboo moor', contrasted with shinohuredo in the next line, which means 'though I might manage to conceal'.
The picture shows Hitoshi on the wild moor, with the reeds growing all around him.
