Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
百敷や
Retired Emperor Juntoku · 順徳院
百敷や
古き軒端の
しのぶにも
なほあまりある
昔なりけり
Historical kana
ももしきや
ふるきのきばの
しのぶにも
なほあまりある
むかしなりけり
Original English translation
At the old eaves of the imperial palace, even the remembering ferns cannot hold all that belongs to the past.
History and context
Juntoku was the last emperor represented in the collection and was later exiled to Sado. The poem looks back towards the imperial palace and its past; its placement makes remembrance the collection’s closing gesture.
Imagery and wordplay
Shinobu names a fern and suggests remembering. Plant growth at old eaves cannot contain the abundance of memory.
Zoku Gosenshū · 続後撰集雑下1202
Japanese text and historical kana follow the linked Wikisource transcription. Classical poems can have variant spellings and wording in different anthologies. The source anthology reference identifies the version represented in this collection, not necessarily its earliest surviving text. English prose translations and reading notes are original interpretations; some wordplay permits more than one reading.