Three Japanese TankaA poem by Ono Komachi, translated by Jane Hirshfield with Mariko Aratani Presentation by Kyra Gilpin

Ono no Komachi

• Born around 825-900

• Death date and place unknown

• Lived in the Heian time period in Japan

Popular Poems

• As I dozed• Blossoms blooming• Fisher folk• In my desolation • No exchange of glaces

Poem Style

• A tanka, or a short poem

• Written in 5-7-5-7-7 (Japanese syllables)

• Tanka are written in stanzas, but there is no rhyme scheme. It is similar to a free-verse.

Emotion• Tanka 1: Emotion is mostly sad; she seems depressed about

her love who she might not see again.

• Tanka 2: The man she talks about “changed his mind” about her.

• Tanka 3: Later in their life she sent him a letter, to wonder how he’s doing after they split apart. His life is better, hers is worse.

Literary Devices

• “…world of love…” – Hyperbole

• “Since my heart placed me…” – Personification

• “After my life has emptied itself like this stalk of grain into the autumn wind.” – Simile, metaphor

Three Japanese Tanka, 1

Sent anonymously to a man who had passed in front ofthe screens of my room

Should the world of loveend in darkness,without glimpsing that cloud-gapwhere the moon’s light fills the sky?

Three Japanese Tanka, 2

Sent to a man who seemed to have changed his mindSince my heart placed meon board your drifting ship,not one day has passedthat I haven’t been drenchedin cold waves.

Three Japanese Tanka, 3

Sent in a letter attached to a rice stalk with an emptyseed husk

How sad that I hopeto see you even now,after my life has emptied itself like this stalk of graininto the autumn wind.