Prince Motoyoshi
- Period: Heian Period
- Occupation: Waka Poet
- Family: Emperor Yōzei (father)
- Birth: 890AD
- Death: 943AD
Prince Motoyoshi
Prince Motoyoshi (元良親王) was a member of the Imperial Family and son to Emperor Yōzei, living from 890-943AD.
During his lifetime he was known to have been a great gallant and appears in several episodes of the Tales of Yamato.
20 of his poems appear in Imperial Anthologies as well as having his poems collected in the Motoyoshi shinnō-shū.1
One of his poems also appears in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu (No.20) and goes as follows:
| Japanese text2 | Romanized Japanese1 | English translation1 |
|---|---|---|
| わびぬれば 今はた同じ 難波なる 身をつくしても 逢はむとぞ思ふ | Wabinureba ima hata onaji Naniwa naru mi-o-tsukushite mo awan to zo omou | I'm so desperate, it's all the same. like the channel markers of Naniwa whose name means 'self-sacrifice' let me give up my life to see you once again. |
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.
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