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A Hundred Verses from Old Japan (The Hyakunin-isshu), tr. by William N. Porter, [1909], at sacred-texts.com


p. 48

48

SHIGE-YUKI MINAMOTO

MINAMOTO NO SHIGE-YUKI

  Kaze wo itami
Iwa utsu nami no
  Onore nomi
Kudakete mono wo
Omou koro kana.

THE waves that dash against the rocks
  Are broken by the wind
And turned to spray; my loving heart
  Is broken too, I find,
  Since thou art so unkind.

The writer of this verse is said to have died in the year 963; for a note about the great Minamoto family, see verse No. 28. In the picture we see Shige-yuki, with an attendant carrying his sword, walking on the shore, while the waves break into spray at his feet.


Next: 49. The Minister Yoshi-nobu, of Priestly Rank: Ōnakatomi no Yoshi-nobu Ason