吹くからに | fuku kara ni |
秋の草木の | aki no kusaki no |
しをるれば | shiorureba |
むべ山風を | mube yamakaze wo |
嵐といふらむ | arashi to iuran |
Fun’ya no Yasuhide 文屋康秀 (dates uncertain), also sometimes called Bunrin 文琳, was active in the second half of 9th century. He was a descendant of Emperor Tenmu (天武天皇 Tenmu tennō; ?–686) through his son Prince Naga (長皇子 Naga no miko; ?–715) but spent his life as a low-ranking official, only reaching the Senior Sixth Rank, Upper Grade (正六位上 shō rokui jō), which did not rank him among court officials and did not permit him to enter the imperial presence.
Still, Yasuhide was a poet and it is his poetry and poetic encounters, rather than the positions he held, that he is remembered by. Although he is only represented by five poems in Kokinshū 古今集 (Collection from Ancient and Modern Times; 905) and one in Gosenshū 後撰集 (Later Collection; 953), the anthologies tell a few things about Yasuhide’s time, and allow us to link him to other prominent poets of early Heian period (平安時代 Heian jidai; 794−1192).
For example, a headnote of the 8th poem in Kokinshū notes how Yasuhide was summoned by the Second Ward Empress (二条后 Nijō no kisaki) or Fujiwara no Takaiko 藤原高子 (also read as Kōshi; 842−910), when she was still Mother of the Crown Prince (later Emperor Yōzei 陽成天皇 Yōzei tennō; 868−949; reigned 876−884; Hyakunin Isshu 13]). If Kokinshū headnotes are correct, then Yasuhide and Ariwara no Narihira 在原業平 (825–880) were contemporaries, because Takaiko was called Mother of the Crown Prince for roughly six years, from 870 to 876, and they both happened to compose for her during that time. In fact, Narihira’s famous chihayaburu ちはやぶる poem (Hyakunin Isshu 17) was composed in the aforementioned time frame.
Another headnote, one preceding a composition (Kokinshū 938) of poetess Ono no Komachi 小野小町 (dates uncertain; Hyakunin Isshu 9), suggests she was also a contemporary and on friendly terms with Yasuhide, − the headnote states that Komachi’s poem was a reply to Yasuhide’s invitation to Mikawa 三河 (part of modern-day Aichi 愛知 prefecture), where he was assigned a third-ranking official.
Today Yasuhide is most often mentioned together with Narihira, Komachi and three other poets1, as the Six Poetic Immortals (六歌仙 Rokkasen) − poets whom Ki no Tsurayuki 紀貫之 (866 or 872−954; Hyakunin Isshu 35) mentioned in the Kana preface (仮名序 Kanajo) of Kokinshū. Like others, Yasuhide did not escape Tsurayuki’s seemingly-harsh comments, which were also closely reiterated by Ki no Yoshimochi 紀淑望 (?−919) in the Mana (Chinese) preface (真名序 Manajo) of Kokinshū.
Ki no Tsuyrakuki in the Kana preface wrote:
Fun’ya no Yasuhide’s language is skillful, but his style is inappropriate to his content. His poems are like peddlers tricked out in fancy costumes.
(trans. McCullough 1985, 7)
Ki no Yoshimochi in the Mana preface stated:
Bunrin [Fun’ya no Yasuhide] deals cleverly with topics, but his style approaches vulgarity. His poems are like peddlers tricked out out in fancy dress.
(trans. McCullough 1985, 257)
These comments are often seen harsh, but the fact that the critiqued poets came to be seen as Poetic Immortals, and that their poems were included in many exemplary collections (the Hyakunin Isshu may also be considered one), shows that their works were highly valued by later generations. Yasuhide’s poem in the Hyakunin Isshu is no exception.
Stormy mountain winds
The Hyakunin Isshu poem attributed to Fun’ya no Yasuhide’s is the opening poem of the second book of autumn poems (fifth book in total) of Kokinshū, which is a poem placement of considerable esteem. In Kokinshū, the composition comes with a headnote stating it is a poem from poetry contest at Imperial Prince Koresada’s2 house.
Poetry Contest at Imperial Prince Koresada’s House (是貞親王家歌合 Koresada no miko no ie no utaawase) took place some time before the autumn of 893 and many prominent poets of the day, including Ōe no Chisato 大江千里 (dates uncertain; Hyakunin Isshu 23), Fujiwara no Toshiyuki 藤原敏行 (?−901 or 907; Hyakunin Isshu 18), Ki no Tomonori 紀友則 (845−905; Hyakunin Isshu 33), Mibu no Tadamine 壬生忠岑 (around 850−?; Hyakunin Isshu 30) and the aforementioned Ki no Tsurayuki, seem to have participated. It is often noted that at the time of competition Yasuhide should have been of very respectable age, and thus his participation is sometimes doubted. Nevertheless, it is known that in some contests, poetry would be submitted beforehand, meaning that Yasuhide could have participated without physically being present.
The point regarding Yasuhide’s age and participation is of importance because some copies of Kokinshū, as well as a later Kokin Waka Rokujō 古今和歌六帖 (shortened as Kokin Rokujō; Six Books of Old and New Japanese Poetry; around 974), state that the poem was composed by Yasuhide’s son Fun’ya no Asayasu 文屋朝康 (dates uncertain; Hyakunin Isshu 37). It could have been a copying error − a natural occurrence in hand-copied manuscripts, − but it has nevertheless led to doubts regarding authorship of the poem. In such circumstances, poetry contest for which the poem was composed can become an important pointer and records of the contest can become crucial sources. However, a detailed record of Poetry Contest at Imperial Prince Koresada’s House does not survive, and so there are no clear answers regarding Yasuhide’s participation, as well as authorship of the poem. Nevertheless, a prominent place of the poem in Kokinshū coupled with Yasuhide’s mention in the Kana Preface seems to point to Yasuhide as the author, and later sources indicate that Fujiwara no Teika 藤原定家 (1162−1241; Hyakunin Isshu 97), who is credited with selecting the Hyakunin Isshu poems, considered the poem Yasuhide’s composition.
Yasuhide's poem in the Hyakunin Isshu appears to reflect Ki no Tsurayuki’s claims about his skillful language and a style, inappropriate to the content. It is a playful acrostic composition that could hardly be taken as embodying the autumnal beauty and sadness, but one may argue that Yasuhide manages to convey other aspects of autumnal nature, thus presenting a different perspective on an old topic.
The first three lines of the poem introduce autumn imagery, but it is not of richly coloured leaves or the autumn moon. It is a dynamic image of late autumn wind in the mountains, because of which trees and grasses wither, signalling the nearing of winter.
The poem does not mention wind per se until the second half, but it starts with a verb fuku, meaning [of wind] to blow and therefore setting the scene. As soon as (kara ni) the wind blows, the autumn (aki) grasses and trees (kusaki) wither (shioru); therefore <...> (reason is denoted by the perfective form [已然形 izenkei] of shioru (→ shiorure), combined with ba, forming shiorureba).
This first part of the poem works as an explanation of the second half, where the poet plays with three characters − yama 山, kaze 風 and arashi 嵐 (the last one being made up from the first two) and reasons that because as soon as the wind blows, autumn trees and grasses wither, indeed (mube), the mountain wind (山風 yamakaze) is called (to iu) a storm (嵐 arashi).
It could seem that the acrostic part of the poem serves enough wordplay for a poem as short as the 31-syllable waka, but the author does not seem to settle with one meaning of arashi. The word serves as a kakekotoba 掛詞 or pivot-word, of which the second meaning is fierce, violent. Therefore the last two lines of the poem, mube yamakaze wo / arashi to iu ran, could be read not only as indeed, the mountain wind is called a storm, but also as (very literally): indeed, the mountain wind is called violent.
When it blows,
autumn trees and grasses
wither; wherefore
indeed, the mountain wind, −
the storm! − is called destroyer.
The author succeeds in creating a dynamic and in a sense playful image of late autumn, which seems far detached from the conventions of colourful leaves, rising mists, and the autumn moon. And while some may say the poem so focused on impossible to translate wordplay lacks in emotion, others may agree that with some explanation the natural world playfully depicted over a thousand years ago can appear as familiar today.
Notes
1 The other three poets among the Six Poetic Immortals being:
- Ōtomo no Kuronushi 大友黒主 (dates uncertain)
- Priest Kisen (喜撰法師 Kisen hōshi, dates uncertain; Hyakunin Isshu 8)
- Archbishop Henjō (僧正遍照 Sōjō Henjō; 816−890; Hyakunin Isshu 12)
2 Imperial Prince Koresada (是貞親王 Koresada shinnō; ?−903) was son of Emperor Emperor Kōkō (光孝天皇 Kōkō tennō; 830−887; reigned 884−887; Hyakunin Isshu 15).