Poem by Kiyowara no Fukayabu with Design of Wisteria
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.Koishinaba
ta ga na wa tataji
yo no naka no
tsune naki mono to
ii wa nasu to mo
If I die of a broken heart,
no other name than yours
will be raised in blame,
but no doubt you’ll just say,
“That’s life: nothing lasts forever.”
—Trans. John T. Carpenter
Note that the poem is inscribed using the “scattered writing” (chirashigaki) technique, so it begins at the middle with the boldly brushed characters making up the phrase koishinaba (literally, “to die from love”). The column to the left is read next, and then the reader must move to the far right to read the final lines.
ta ga na wa tataji
yo no naka no
tsune naki mono to
ii wa nasu to mo
If I die of a broken heart,
no other name than yours
will be raised in blame,
but no doubt you’ll just say,
“That’s life: nothing lasts forever.”
—Trans. John T. Carpenter
Note that the poem is inscribed using the “scattered writing” (chirashigaki) technique, so it begins at the middle with the boldly brushed characters making up the phrase koishinaba (literally, “to die from love”). The column to the left is read next, and then the reader must move to the far right to read the final lines.
Artwork Details
- Title: Poem by Kiyowara no Fukayabu with Design of Wisteria
- Artist: Calligraphy by Hon'ami Kōetsu (Japanese, 1558–1637)
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: early 17th century
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Poem card (shikishi) mounted as a hanging scroll; ink on paper with mica
- Dimensions: Image: 7 13/16 x 6 3/4 in. (19.9 x 17.2 cm)
Overall: 50 3/8 x 16 1/4 in. (128 x 41.2 cm) - Classification: Calligraphy
- Credit Line: Collection of Sylvan Barnet and William Burto
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art