A Bluebird and Poppies

Utagawa Hiroshige

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The anonymous poet sensitively observes that the thin, fragile petals of poppy flowers might be scattered by the flapping of a bird’s wing. 鳥飛て　あふなき芥子の　一重かな Tori tonde (tobite) abunaki keshi no hitoe kana A bird flying by— poses danger to poppies with single layers of petals. —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