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66. The Archbishop Gyōson: Daisōjō Gyōson, read aloud

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A Hundred Verses from Old Japan · 67 of 101

66. The Archbishop Gyōson: Daisōjō Gyōson

66

THE ARCHBISHOP GYŌSON

DAISŌJŌ GYŌSON

Morotomo ni Aware to omoe Yama zakura Hana yori hoka ni Shiru hito mo nashi.

IN lonely solitude I dwell, No human face I see; And so we two must sympathize, Oh mountain cherry tree; I have no friend but thee.

The Archbishop is said to have ended his life in the year 1135, by the method described in the note to verse No. 12. The scene of this poem was the sacred mountain Ōmine, in the Province of Yamato, famous for its cherry blossoms, and the illustration shows the Priest with his two attendants addressing the cherry tree.