Rain on Cherry Blossoms

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"Rain on Blossoms" (hana no ame)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Late Spring
***** Category: Heavens

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Explanation


"rain on blossoms", "rain an blooms", "rain on flowers", "blossom rain"
hana no ame　花の雨
rain on cherry blossoms etc.

rain during the time of cherry blossoms, hanadoki no ame
花時の雨（はなどきのあめ）




Since in the Japanese haiku vocabulary, HANA is identical with the cherry blossoms, there is no doubt when using this expression. In other languages, it is usually not enought to convey this strong meaning and we should make sure the reader understands the connotations. Best use a footnote, but at least translate it as

rain on cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms in the rain, ... many more versions are possible.

A cold and chilly rain during the cherry blossom viewing season. The Japanese brave the weather and go out to enjoy the cherry blossoms anyway, since the time to that is just so limited.


According to the Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, it can also be a metaphor (mitate) for a heavy fall of blossoms/petals.
(In this case, petals falling like a snow strom(hanafubuki 花吹雪) can also be used.）




hanafubuki 花吹雪 "blossom storm"
"blossom blizzard", blossom snowstorm
... sakurafubuki 桜吹雪（さくらふぶき）
hika 飛花（ひか） cherry blossoms flying around


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In "Cherry Blossom Epiphany," Robin Gill translates "hana no ame" as "blossom rain."

Two examples:

yorokobi no namida zo machishi hana no ame

this long-awaited
blossom rain: call it
tears of joy!

Teiji (1645), trans. Gill


hana no ame hito o yowasu ni ware no you

blossom rain
pushing drink on a friend
I end up drunk

Ryooto(1717?), trans. Gill

Of this haiku, Gill notes that:

"Tsuji Momoko, haiku poet herself, explains: 'This is the chilly rain of blossom-viewing time.'"

Ms. Tsuji goes on to contrast the chilliness of 'blossom rain' to the warmth of 'sake' in her explication of this haiku.

Compiled by
Larry Bole, Translating Haiku Forum

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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU

花の雨竹にけぶれば真青なり
hana no ame take ni kebureba masao nari

rain on the cherry blossoms
with bamboo in the mist -
so pale and green

Mizuhara Shūōshi 水原秋桜子
Tr. Gabi Greve

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バイブルをよむ寂しさよ花の雨
baiburu o yomu sabishisa yo hana no ame

this loneliness
while I read the bible -
rain on the cherry blossoms

diese Einsamkeit
während ich die Bibel lese -
Kirschblütenregen

Sugita Hisajo 杉田久女
Tr. Gabi Greve


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Related words

***** Cherry Blossoms (sakura, hana) ...
and many related kigo

***** Rain in various KIGO

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