[47] やえ (Yae)

 Poem Meaning and Background

Vine-covered house in early fall, photo credit me

やへむぐら・しげれるやどの・さびしきに
yaemugura・shigereru yado no・sabishiki ni

ひとこそみえね・あきはきにけり

hito koso miene・aki wa ki ni keri

〜恵慶法師（ Egyō Hōshi）

Translation

To the dim cottage

Overgrown with thick-leaved vines

In its loneliness

There are none who visit now,

Save for the weary autumn

*Translation note: I edited the last two lines of the 1917 Clay MacCauley translation I typically use and mixed in a bit of phrasing from the 1999 Donald Keene Translation

Meaning

The poet Egyō wrote this on his visit to see a friend who was residing in a villa formerly owned by Minamoto Tōru, the author of poem [14] Michi. The villa was known as 河原院 (Kawarano-in) and it was built around the start of the Heian period, about 100 years prior to Egyō's visit. In its heyday, it was known for its extravagance and large garden, and many guests came to visit the residence. However, it fell into disrepair over the years and by the time Minamoto's great-grandson, Anpō Hōshi, was residing there it was in a state of overgrown desolation. Though the poem contrasts the rich and vibrant origins of the residence with its current forgotten state, the last line can alternatively be read with a sense of kindness: though people may have forgotten this place, the fall still comes to visit, and will continue to visit, year after year.

In the first line, むぐら(mugura) is a type of vine, and 八重 (yae) means いくえにも, or "layer upon layer". This lets the reader know that the house has been neglected long enough for thick layers of vines to grow over it. Though 宿 (yado) often refers to 旅館 (ryokan), or an inn, in this case it is referring to a house. In the second verse, 人こそ見えね (hito koso miene) means that people do not come to visit. In the last line, 秋は来にけり (aki wa ki ni keri) means that the autumn does come. In this case, the particle は (wa) is acting to strengthen the contrast: though people do not, the autumn does come to visit. 

Author

Egyō Hōshi (dates unknown) was a poet and Buddhist monk who lived in the mid-Heian Period. He was said to have delivered sermons at 国分寺（Kokubun-ji）, a temple in 播磨国 (Harimano kuni), which is located in modern day Hyogo Prefecture.