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CHŪ-NAGON ASA-TADA
Au koto no
Taete shi nakuba
Naka naka ni
Hito wo mo mi wo mo
Uramizaramashi.
THE IMPERIAL ADVISER ASA-TADA
To fall in love with womankind
Is my unlucky fate;
If only it were otherwise,
I might appreciate
Some men, whom now I hate.
The writer of this verse was the son of Sadakata, a Minister-of-the-Right, and is said to have died in the year 961. The verse was composed at the instance of the Emperor Daigo, and is apparently written in praise of a life of single blessedness. The translation does not give the full force of the last two lines, which mean literally, ‘I should not dislike both other people and myself too.’ The illustration shows Asa-tada walking on the verandah outside his house, perhaps composing this verse.