HomePoets / Semimaru

early Heian period · dates unknownSemimaru

蝉丸(せみまる)

A legendary early Heian poet, remembered as a blind lute-playing recluse who lived in a hut at the Ōsaka Barrier east of the capital. Medieval tales tell of the courtier Minamoto no Hiromasa visiting him for three years to learn his secret melodies. Later traditions made him an imperial prince, but nothing is known for certain. His poem on the barrier where travelers meet and part appears in the Gosenshū. He is enshrined at Ōsaka and is the subject of a Noh play.

Poems by Semimaru

1 poem

Hyakunin Isshu No. 10 Gosen Wakashū

これやこの 行くも帰るも 別れては
知るも知らぬも 逢坂の関
Kore ya kono yuku mo kaeru mo wakarete wa / shiru mo shiranu mo Ōsaka no seki

So this is it — the Barrier of Meeting Hill, where those who go and those who return, friends and strangers alike, part and meet again.

Hyakunin IsshuGosen WakashūMiscellaneousPartingImpermanenceŌsaka Barrier (Shiga)

♪ Listen: “Kore ya Kono”

Songs by this poet

Songs · 1