Ariwara no Narihira
- Period: Heian Period
- Occupation: Waka Poet.
- Family: Emperor Heizei (grandfather) Emperor Kanmu (grandfather) Prince Abo (father) Ariwara no Yukihira (brother)
- Birth: 825
- Death: 880
Ariwara no Narihira
Ariwara no Narihira (在原 業平) was a renowed poet from the early Heian Period living from 825 to 880. Many stories have grown up around him saying that he was an rather legendary lover, the Tales of Ise account many tale both historical and ficitional about him.
His ancestry can trace back to the Imperial family, as a son of Prince Abo, he was the grandson of Emperor Heizei on his father side, and of Kanmu. on his mothers.
He is listed as one of the Six Poetic Geniuses as well as one of the Thirty-Six Poetic Geniuses and 87 of his poems can be found in the Imperial Anthologies.
One of his poems (No.17) can be found in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu and goes as follows:1
| Japanese text2 | Romanized Japanese1 | English translation1 |
|---|---|---|
| 千早ぶる 神代もきかず 龍田川 からくれないに 水くくるとは | Chihayaburu kamiyo mo kikazu Tatsuyagawa karakurenai ni mizu kukuru to wa | Such beauty unheard of Even in the age of the raging gods- The Tatsuta River Tie-dyeing its waters In autumnal colours. |
Another of his poems talks of a now lost temple, and serves as one of the few references we have of the Temple of Nodera, a temple with connections to the Yōkai known as the Noderabō.3
Footnotes
1. MacMillan, P. (2018) ”One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each: A Treasury of Classical Japanese Verse”. St. Ives: Penguin Classics.
2. Suzuki, H. et al. (1997) ”Genshoku: Ogura Hyakunin Isshu”. Tokyo: Bun’eidō.
3. Yoda, H. and Alt, M. (2016) “Japandemonium: Illustrated: The Yokai Encyclopaedia of Toriyama Sekien.”. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.
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