A Wren and Chrysanthemums
Intriguingly, the artist borrowed both his depiction of the wren (misosazai) and the accompanying kyōka (thirty-one-syllable witty verse) from the poetry book Myriad Birds (Momo chidori, ca. 1790), illustrated by Kitagawa Utamaro and published about four decades before. The poem is about falling in love with a high-ranked courtesan and was composed by Karagoromo Kisshū (1743–1802), a samurai-poet who was one of the pioneers of the kyōka revival in the late eighteenth century.
大鵬の 高き心の 君ゆへに うきみそさゝゐ よりもつかれず
Taihō no
takaki kokoro no
kimi yue ni
uki misosazai
yori mo tsukarezu
Since your ambition
is as lofty as that of Taihō
the majestic bird of legend
as a wren, even if I fall in love,
I cannot hope to soar that high.
—Trans. John T. Carpenter
大鵬の 高き心の 君ゆへに うきみそさゝゐ よりもつかれず
Taihō no
takaki kokoro no
kimi yue ni
uki misosazai
yori mo tsukarezu
Since your ambition
is as lofty as that of Taihō
the majestic bird of legend
as a wren, even if I fall in love,
I cannot hope to soar that high.
—Trans. John T. Carpenter
Artwork Details
- 歌川広重画 菊に鷦鷯
- Title: A Wren and Chrysanthemums
- Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, Tokyo (Edo) 1797–1858 Tokyo (Edo))
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: ca. 1830
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Woodblock print
- Dimensions: 14 7/8 x 5 in. (37.8 x 12.7 cm)
- Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1918
- Object Number: JP259
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
More Artwork
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.