Love

The Pink and the Lily

by Otomo no Yakamochi c. 718–785

Translated by Clara A. Walsh (1910) · From The Master-Singers of Japan

Love

To soothe my heart, afar from thee,
A wild pink from the green hillside
I planted in my garden court.
Then, for its flower-spouse I brought
A lily from the moorland wide.
So should their hues and fragrance be
Together mingled.

As side by side, I watch them grow,
It calms my sorrow,
Else, heaven-far from thee, I know
I could not, could not stay
One more brief day,
But fain must seek thee on the morrow!

MLA

Yakamochi, Otomo no. “The Pink and the Lily.” Translated by Clara A. Walsh. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/otomo-no-yakamochi/3/.

Chicago

Yakamochi, Otomo no. “The Pink and the Lily.” Translated by Clara A. Walsh. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/otomo-no-yakamochi/3/.

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