Kiyohara no Motosuke
- Period: Heian Period
- Occupation: Nashitsubo no Gonin, Poet
- Family: Kiyohara no Fukayabu (grandfather) Sei Shonagon (daughter)
- Birth: 908AD
- Death: 990AD
Kiyohara no Motosuke
Kiyohara no Motosuke (清原 元輔) was a Heian Period poet living between 908 and 990AD. He was the grandson of Kiyohara no Fukayabu,1 and was the father of Sei Shonagon.13
During his life he served in various provinces, and later was given the role of Nashitsubo no Gonin and holding that postion he helped compile the Gosenshū13 and write literary critiques on the Man’yōshū.1
We can find over 100 of his poems inside the Imperial Waka Anthologies, as well as in a large private collection.
He is listed as one of the Thirty Six Poetic Geniuses and one of his poems (No.42) can be found in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu and goes as follows:1
Japanese text2 | Romanized Japanese1 | English translation1 |
---|---|---|
ちぎりきな かたみに袖を しぼりつつ 末の松山 波こさじとは | Chigirikina katami ni sode o shiboritsutsu Sue-no-matsuyama nami kosaji to wa | Wringing tears from our sleeves, did we not pledge never to part, not even if the waves engulfed the Mount of Forever-Green Pines - what caused such a change of heart? |
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. Louis Frederic, translated by Kathe Roth (2002) “Japan Encyclopedia”. London: Harvard University Press.
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