[37] しら (Shira)

 Poem Meaning and Background

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しらつゆに・かぜのふきしく・あきののは

shiratsuyu ni・kaze no fukishiku・aki no no wa

つらぬきとめぬ・たまぞちりける
tsuranuki tomenu・tama zo chiri keru

〜文屋朝康 (Fun'ya no Asayasu)

Translation

In the autumn fields

When the heedless wind blows by

Over the pure-white dew,

How they scatter everywhere

Glistening like unstrung pearls

Meaning

The poem captures the ephemeral beauty of the delicate morning autumn dew. As the wind scatters the dew, causing it to disappear into nothingness, we can feel the lingering sadness that often accompanies fall themed poems. In the Heian period, it was common for poets to compare dew to beads, particularly pearls. Dew was also used as an allegory for tears, so if the poem is read with this in mind, the second half of the poem could possibly be implying sorrow over the end of a romantic relationship. It is said that this poem was a particular favorite of the compiler of the Hyakunin Isshu anthology, Fujiwara no Teika. 

しらつゆ doesn't mean that dew is white exactly, but rather that it appears white when it reflects the morning sun. しく has the same meaning as しきりに (strongly or incessantly), so the second line means that the wind is blowing incessantly. The wa at the end of the third line aki no no wa is used for emphasis and implies 秋の野原だけ, only in autumn fields. Basically, the author is saying you can only see such a scene at a very specific time and place. Tsuranuki tomenu means "unstrung", or more literally that a thread which had once strung together the beads has become unfastened. Other English translations I have read translate 玉 (tama; jewel or ball) as diamonds or jewels, but from historical context it seems likely that this word means pearls （真珠；shinju) specifically. During the Heian Period, strings of pearls used for necklaces and other accessories were popular. 

Author

Fun'ya no Asayasu (dates unknown) was selected as one of the 6 Immortals of Poetry. He is the son of Fun'ya no Yasuhide, who is also one of the 6 Immortals of Poetry and authored poem [22] Fu in the Hyakunin Isshu. He was a low ranking government official, and he participated in many poetry contests in his time. According to Wikipedia, Fun'ya no Asayasu was said to have composed this poem at the request of Emperor Daigo in the year 900.