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Dhammapada · narration sample

A one-minute narration sample. Every book in the library is narrated end to end — hear the rest in the app.

A Hundred Verses from Old Japan · 16 of 101

15. The Emperor Kwōkō: Kwōkō Tennō

15

THE EMPEROR KWŌKŌ

KWŌKŌ TENNŌ

Kimi ga tame Haru no no ni idete Wakana tsumu Waga koromode ni Yuki wa furi-tsutsu.

MOTHER, for thy sake I have been Where the wakana grow, To bring thee back some fresh green leaves And see—my koromo Is sprinkled with the snow!

Kwōkō was raised to the throne by the Fujiwara family, when the mad Emperor Yōzei was deposed; he reigned A.D. 885-887, and is said to have composed this verse in honour of his grandmother.

Wakana, literally ‘young leaves’, is a vegetable in season at the New Year; a koromo is really a priest’s garment, but is used here for the Emperor’s robe.

In the picture we see the Emperor gathering the fresh green leaves, and the snow falling from the sky.