The HyperTexts
Ono no Komachi, the Heroine of Sotoba Komachi
in Modern English Translations
by Michael R. Burch
Ono no Komachi (circa 850 AD) was a legendary beauty who wrote tanka (also known as waka), the most
traditional form of Japanese lyric poetry. Although little is known about her
life with any surety, Ono no Komachi continues to speak eloquently through her
poetry. Komachi is best known today for her
recurring themes of autumn rains, wilting flowers and passionate dreams, and for
her pensive, melancholic and erotic poems…
If fields of autumn flowers
can shed their blossoms, shameless,
why can’t I also frolic here —
as fearless, wild and blameless?
—Ono no Komachi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Ono no
Komachi is an excellent representative of the
Classical, or Heian, period (circa 794-1185 AD) of Japanese literature and one of the
best-known poets of the Kokinshu (circa 905), the first in
a series of anthologies of Japanese poetry compiled by imperial order. She is
also one of the Rokkasen — the six best waka poets of the early Heian
period, during which poetry was considered the highest art in Japan. In other words, like
Sappho to the ancient Greeks, Komachi was considered to be one of the very best
poets of her era. Or we might compare her to Madonna and Beyonce in ours. But
Komachi's poems of unrequited love, and of neglect by her lovers, remind me
most of Sappho…
I had thought to pluck
the flower of forgetfulness
only to find it
already blossoming in his heart.
—Ono no Komachi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Renowned for her unusual beauty, Komachi has become a synonym for feminine
beauty in Japan. She is also included among the thirty-six Poetry Immortals. It
is believed that she was born sometime between 820-830 and that she wrote most
of her poems around the middle of the ninth century. Komachi is also the
heroine of Sotoba Komachi, a modern Noh play by Yukio Mishima
(1925-1970). Mishima's play is based on an ancient work by Kan'ami Kiyotsugu
(1333-1384). There is more information about Sotoba Komachi at the
bottom of this page, including my translation of an excerpt. The play is about an aging Komachi who, according to
legend, lost her mind and her desire to live when she lost her fabled beauty. And
that loss of desire does seem to be confirmed by her poems…
So cruelly severed,
a root-cut reed…
if the river offered,
why not be freed?
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XVIII:938), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
The wildflowers and my love
wilted with the rain
as I idly wondered
where in the past does love remain?
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XV:782), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Alas, the beauty of the flowers came to naught
as I watched the rain, lost in melancholic thought…
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XII:113), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Sad,
the end that awaits me —
to think that before autumn yields
I'll be a pale mist
shrouding these rice fields.
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XV:822), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
"The passionate accents of the waka of Komachi and Narihira would never be
surpassed, and the poetry as a whole is of such charm as to make the appearance
of the Kokinshū seem less a brilliant dawn
after a dark night than the culmination of a steady enhancement of the
expressive powers of the most typical Japanese poetic art."—Donald Keene,
translator, critic and literary historian
Some of the poems herein have been attributed to Ono no Komachi but may have been
composed by poets of later periods who were influenced by her style and themes.
Where possible, I have provided a reference and the original text. Some poems have multiple
translations with different interpretations.
Note to archivists, anthologists, editors and scholars: The versions of my
translations on this page are the most current, definitive ones. Translations of
mine found elsewhere may be older versions, or pirated and botched.—MRB
For explanations of how he translates and why he calls his results "loose
translations" and "interpretations" please click here:
Michael R. Burch Translation
Methods and Credits to Other Translators
Abandonment
This abandoned
mountain shack —
how many nights
has autumn sheltered there?
—Ono no Komachi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Am I to spend the night alone
atop this summit,
cold and lost?
Won't you at least lend me
your robes of moss?
—Ono no Komachi (GSS XVII:1195), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Komachi wrote her poem about a visit she made to a temple. The moss robe refers
to the coarse clothing worn by Buddhist monks and priests. The next poem was
Henjo’s clever reply to the famous beauty:
Alas, my moss robe has just one layer,
yet not to share it would be inhospitable...
Come, let’s sleep together!
—Henjo (GSS XVII:1196), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Ancient Feminism
Submit to you —
is that what you advise?
The way ripples do
whenever ill winds arise?
—Ono no Komachi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Submit to you —
is that what you’re saying?
The way ripples do
whenever hot air is splaying?
—Ono no Komachi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
If fields of autumn flowers
can shed their blossoms, shameless,
why can’t I also frolic here —
as fearless, wild and blameless?
—Ono no Komachi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Autumn Rains and Wilted Flowers
Time is a harsh mistress. Autumn rains and wilting flowers are metaphors for
Komachi's tears over her loss of beauty and happiness as she aged...
Alas, the beauty of the flowers came to naught
as I watched the rain, lost in melancholy thought…
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XII:113), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Once-colorful flowers faded,
while in my drab cell
life’s impulse also abated
as the long rains fell.
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XII:113), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
This flower's color
has drained away,
while in idle thoughts
my life drained away
as the long rains fell.
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XII:113), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Now that I approach
life’s inevitable winter
your ardor has faded
like blossoms left limp
by late autumn rains.
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XII:113), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Fana no iro Fa
uturi ni keri na
itadura ni
waga mi yo ni Furu
nagame sesi ma ni
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XII:113)
Two things wilt without warning,
bleeding away their colors:
a flower and a man's heart.
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XV:797), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Watching the long, dismal rains
inundating the earth,
my heart too is washed out, bleeds off
with the colors of the late spring flowers.
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XV:797), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
iro miete
ururoFu mono Fa
yo no naka no
Fito no kokoro no
Fana ni zo arikeru
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XV:797)
I had thought to pluck
the flower of forgetfulness
only to find it
already blossoming in his heart.
—Ono no Komachi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
"It's over!"
Your words drizzle like dismal rains,
reducing me to tears
as I wilt with my years.
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XV:782), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
My body has wilted with late autumn rains;
now even your leaves lie colorless and scattered.
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XV:782), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
The colorless, scattered leaves might be those of love letters and books.
Like flowers wilted by drenching rains,
my beauty has faded in the onslaught of my forlorn years.
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XV:782), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
ima Fa tote
wa ga mi sigure ni
Furinureba
koto no Fa saFe ni
uturoFinikeri
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XV:782)
Ono no Sadaki wrote the following poem in response:
Heart,
if you were the last leaf on a barren tree,
then, and only then,
in obedience to the wind,
would you wisely fall and be consumed.
—Ono no Sadaki (KKS XV:783), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
So lately severed,
a root-cut reed,
if the river offered,
why not be freed?
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XVIII:938), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
This aimlessly floating body?
This reed severed from its roots?
If the river offered me freedom
I think I'd follow…
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XVIII:938), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Wretched water-weed
that I am,
severed from all roots:
should the rapids entice me,
why not welcome their lethal shoots?
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XVIII:938), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
wabinureba
mi wo ukikusa no
ne wo taete
sasoFu midu araba
inamu to zo omoFu
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XVIII:938)
How brilliantly
tears rain upon my sleeve
in bright gemlets,
for my despair cannot be withstood,
like a surging flood!
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XII:557), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Foolish teardrops, indeed, to form beads on a sleeve:
mine deluge the earth, undammable!
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XII:557), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Komachi wrote her poem in reply to one by Abe no Kiyoyuki about tears his sleeve
could not contain.
oroka naru
namida zo sode ni
tama Fa nasu
ware Fa sekiaFezu
tagituse nareba
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XII:557)
Watching wan moonlight flooding tree limbs,
my heart also brims,
overflowing
with autumn.
—Ono no Komachi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Watching wan moonlight
illuminate bare limbs,
my heart also brims,
overflowing
with autumn.
—Ono no Komachi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Sad,
the end that awaits me —
to think that before autumn yields
I'll be a pale mist
shrouding these rice fields.
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XV:822), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Now bitterly I watch fierce winds
battering the rice stalks,
suspecting I'll never again
find anything to harvest.
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XV:822), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
aki kaze ni
aFu tanomi koso
kanasikere
wa ga mi munasiku
narinu to omoFeba
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XV:822)
In this dismal world
the living decrease
as the dead increase…
Oh, how much longer
must I bear this body of grief?
—Ono no Komachi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Preferring Dreams to Reality
In eye-opening daylight
much stands revealed,
but when I see myself
reflected in hostile eyes
even dreams become nightmares.
Such wretchedness!
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XIII:656), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Terrible reality!
You must do as you must, I suppose.
But even protected in dreams
from prying eyes,
to watch you still pains me so!
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XIII:656), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Since my body
was neglected by the one
who had promised faithfully to come,
I now lie here questioning its existence.
—Ono no Komachi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
ututu ni Fa
sa mo koso arame
yume ni saFe
Fitome wo moru to
miru ga wabisisa
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XIII:656)
As I slept in isolation
my desired beloved appeared to me;
therefore, dreams have become my reality
and consolation.
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XII:553), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
utatane ni
koFisiki Fito wo
mitesi yori
yume teFu mono Fa
tanomisometeki
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XII:553)
Did you appear
only because I was lost in love-thoughts
when I nodded off, day-dreaming of you?
(If I had known that you
couldn't possibly be true
I'd have never awakened!)
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XII:552), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
I nodded off thinking about you
only to have you appear in my dreams.
Had I known that I slept,
I'd have never awakened!
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XII:552), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
omoFitutu
nureba ya Fito no
mieturan
yume to siriseba
samezaramasi wo
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XII:552)
Though I visit him nightly in my dreams,
the sum of all such ethereal trysts
is still less than one actual, solid glimpse.
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XIII:658), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Though I visit you
continually in my dreams,
the sum of all such ethereal trysts
is still less than one actual, solid glimpse.
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XIII:658), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
I pursue you ceaselessly in my dreams…
yet we've never met; we're not even acquainted!
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XIII:658), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
yumedi ni Fa
asi mo yasumezu
kayoFedomo
ututu ni Fitome
misi goto Fa arazu
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XIII:658)
I think of you ceaselessly, with love…
and so …
come to me tonight,
for in the flight
of dreams,
no one can disapprove!
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XIII:657), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Yielding to a love
that recognizes no boundaries,
I will approach him by night—
for the world cannot despise
a vagabond dreamer.
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XIII:657), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Yielding to dreams of limitless love,
a love with no boundaries,
I shall come tonight on the uncensored path
of a vagabond dreamer.
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XIII:657), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
kagiri naki
omoFi no mama ni
yoru mo komu
yumedi wo saFe ni
Fito Fa togamezi
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XIII:657)
Night Sweats and Desire
These moonless nights,
with no way to meet him,
I grow restless with longing:
my breast’s an inferno,
my heart chars within me.
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XIX:1030), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
I would meet him tonight
but the moon lights no path;
my desire for him,
smoldering in my breast,
chars my heart to ash!
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XIX:1030), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
These moonless nights,
when no star lights your way to me,
I lie awake, blazing with longing,
my breast an inferno,
while my heart chars within me.
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XIX:1030), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Fito ni aFamu
tuki no naki ni Fa
omoFiokite
mune Fasiribi ni
kokoroyake wori
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XIX:1030)
Overwhelmed by desire
in the lily-seed darkness,
tonight I'll turn my robe inside-out.
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XII:554), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
I ache so intensely
in the lily-seed night
that I'll turn my yakuta inside-out.
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XII:554), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Japanese folklore held that if you wore your nightclothes inside-out, you’d see
the person you desired in your dreams. A yakuta is a casual version of
the kimono tied loosely with a sash and worn for bathing and sleeping.
ito semete
koFisiki toki Fa
mubatama no
yoru no koromo wo
kaFesite zo kiru
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XII:554)
Sleepless with loneliness,
I find myself longing for the handsome moon.
—Ono no Komachi, loose translation/interpretation by
Michael R. Burch
Love and Loneliness
This unbreakable shackle, love,
chains me to this world of pain.
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XVIII:939), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
That which men call "love" —
is it not merely the shackling chain
preventing my escape
from this world of pain?
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XVIII:939), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
This "love" men tout and proclaim—
is it not merely the shackles
preventing my escape from this world of pain?
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XVIII:939), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Love is man's most unbreakable bond.
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XVIII:939), loose translation/interpretation by
Michael R. Burch
aFare teFu
koto koso utate
yo no naka wo
omoFiFanarenu
Fodasinarikere
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XVIII:939)
Fiery coals searing my body
hurt me far less than the sorrow of separation.
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XX:1104), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
oki no wite
mi wo yaku yori mo
kanasiki Fa
miyakosimabe no
wakare narikeri
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XX:1104)
Am I to spend the night alone
atop this summit,
cold and lost?
Won't you at least lend me
your robes of moss?
—Ono no Komachi (GSS XVII:1195), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
iFa no uFe
tabine wo sureba
ito samusi
koke no koromo wo
ware ni kasanan
—Ono no Komachi (GSS XVII:1195)
This abandoned
mountain shack —
how many nights
has autumn sheltered there?
—Ono no Komachi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
This vain life!
My looks and talents faded
like these cherry blossoms left limp
by endless dismal rains
that I now survey, alone.
—Ono no Komachi, loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Fishermen
Since there’s obviously nothing to catch
in this barren bay,
how can he fail to understand—
this fisherman who persists in coming
until he collapses in the sand?
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XIII:623), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
There’s nothing to catch here in this barren bay,
so how can he fail to understand—
this fisherman who persists in angling
until his weary legs collapse in the sand?
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XIII:623), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
miru me naki
wa ga mi wo ura to
siraneba ya
karenade ama no
asi tayuku kuru
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XIII:623)
Am I a guide to rural fisherfolk?
What do I care where the anemones dwell?
Why ask me to reveal the inlet,
lead you to some dewy shell?
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XIV:727), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
What do I know of villages
where fisherfolk dwell?
Why do you keep demanding
that I lead you to the inlet,
guide you to some pearly shell?
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XIV:727), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
ama no sumu
sato no sirube ni
aranaku ni
uramimu to nomi
Fito no iFuramu
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XIV:727)
Compelled by my longing,
I boarded desire’s drifting boat;
where I now float aimlessly,
with wave-drenched sleeves.
—Ono no Komachi (GSS XI:779), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Oarless and rudderless,
beyond the help of the fisherfolk,
I’m wearied of crossing and re-crossing the sea...
—Ono no Komachi (GSS XV:1090), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Flowers blooming but never blossoming,
never ripening to fruits:
the ocean garlanded by whitecaps.
—Ono no Komachi (GSS XIX:1360), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Over-Hasty Dawn
Autumn nights are overrated,
for we had scarcely gazed into each other’s eyes
when the skies were immolated!
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XIII:635), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Autumn nights are "long"
only in verse and song:
for we had just begun
to gaze into each other’s eyes
when dawn immolated the skies!
—Ono no Komachi (KKS XIII:635), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Sotoba Komachi (卒塔婆小町) is a modern Noh play by Yukio Mishima
(1925-1970). Mishima's play is based on an ancient work by Kan'ami Kiyotsugu
(1333-1384). The kanji 卒塔婆 means "stupa" (the dome of a shrine) while the kanji
小町 means "belle" or "beautiful woman." So the title may be interpreted as
something like "Beauty's Shrine" or "Shrine to Beauty." Kan'ami was the first
playwright to incorporate the Kusemai song and dance style and Dengaku dances
into plays. He founded a sarugaku theater group in the Kansai region of Honshu;
the troupe later moved to Yamato and formed the Yuzaki theater company, which
would become the school of Noh theater.
Excerpts from SOTOBA KOMACHI
by KWANAMI
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
Priest of the Koyasan:
We who have built our homes on shallow slopes
now seek solitude in the heart's deep recesses.
Second Priest:
This single thought possessed me:
How I might bring a single seed to flower,
the wisdom of Buddha, the locus of our salvation,
until in despair I donned this dark cassock.
Ono no Komachi:
Lately so severed,
like a root-cut reed,
if the river offered,
why not be freed?
I would gladly go,
but here no wave stirs…
I was once full of pride
now fled with the years,
gone with dark tresses
and with lustrous locks;
I was lithe as a willow
in my springtime frocks;
I once sang like a nightingale
sipping dew;
I was wild as the rose
when the skies shone blue…
in those days before fall
when the long shadows grew.
But now I’ve grown loathsome
even to whores;
even urchins abhor me;
men treat me with scorn…
Now I am nothing
but a poor, withered bough,
and yet there are wildflowers
in my heart, even now.
Only my body lingers, for my heart left this world long ago!
Priests (together):
O, piteous, piteous!
Is this the once-fabled flower-bright Komachi,
Komachi the Beautiful,
whose dark brows bridged eyes like young moons;
her face whitest alabaster forever;
whose many damask robes filled cedar-scented closets?
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The following are links to other translations by Michael R. Burch:
Fukuda Chiyo-ni
Meleager
Oriental Masters of Haiku
Rainer Maria Rilke
Marina Tsvetaeva
Renée Vivien
Allama Iqbal
Sandor Marai
Wladyslaw Szlengel
Saul Tchernichovsky
Robert Burns: Original Poems and Translations
The Seventh Romantic: Robert Burns
Poetry by Michael R. Burch
Free Love Poems by Michael R. Burch
My Influences by Michael R. Burch
Michael R. Burch Early Poems Timeline
Bemused by Muses
Poems for Poets
Timeline of Rhyme
Michael R. Burch Free Verse
Best Poetry Translations sans links
The HyperTexts