[2]はるす (Harusu)

Poem Meaning and Background

A picture of Amanokaguyama

はるすぎて・なつきにけらし・しろたへの

haru sugite・natsu kini kerashi・shirotae no

ころもほすてふ・あまのかぐやま

koromo hosu chō・ama no Kagu-yama

〜持統天皇　(Jitō Tennō)

Translation

The spring has passed

And the summer come again;

For the silk-white robes,

So they say, are spread to dry

On the "Mount of Heaven's Perfume"

Meaning

    The poem evokes the image of pure white robes being hung out to dry against the vibrant green backdrop of Mt. Amanokaguyama. According to Japan's old lunisolar calendar, the summer season would have included April, May, and June: essentially the warmer days that precede Japan's rainy season. The mountain referenced is located in Nara, and its name comes from a legend which says that the gods came down from heaven to live there. The author, Empress Jitō, would have been able to see this mountain from her home in Fujiwara-kyō. 

Author

    Jitō Tennō, or Empress Jitō (645-702) was the daughter of Tenji Tennō, the author of the first poem in the Hyakunin-Isshu. She married Tenmu Tennō (who was Tenji Tennō's younger brother and her uncle) and became Empress after his death. She was the 3rd of eight women to reign as Empress in Japan. The Man'yōshū, another famous anthology of poems, contains poems she wrote, including one which she wrote upon the death of her father.