Two Poems from One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets

Hon'ami Kōetsu

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This fragment once belonged to a handscroll featuring the poetry of the entire anthology One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets. The underpainting in gold and silver by Tawaraya Sōtatsu describes the life cycle of the lotus—a plant associated with Buddhism. The two poems here are by Fujiwara no Akisuke (1090–1155) and Lady Horikawa (active late 12th century). Sakyō Dayū Akisuke 左京大夫顕輔 Akikaze ni tanabiku kumo no taema yori more-izuru tsuki no kage no sayakesa The light of the moon, clear and radiant, pours through rifts in the clouds, buffeted by autumn breezes. Taikenmon’in Horikawa 待賢門院堀河 Nagakaran kokoro mo shirazu kurokami no midarete kesa wa mono o koso omoe I have no idea how long his love for me will last— as I recall this morning our affair, with my hair tangled as my emotions! —Trans. John T. Carpenter

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art