Waka Poems by Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress and Their Imperial Highnesses the Crown Prince and Princess

Theme for the New Year's Poetry Reading (1993) : SKY

His Majesty the Emperor

Over our Motherland,
As I return
From a journey abroad,
The peak of Fuji soars
Against a vermilion sky

Pome composed by His Majesty the Emperor on his return back from the state visit to the People's Republic of China, describing his impression of the view seen from the plane.

Her Majesty the Empress

Our journey abroad
Now comes to an end.
The plane now streets its course
Towards the glowing sky
of our Motherland.

Composed on Their Majesties' way back from the state Visit to the People's Republic of China, 1992

His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince

I gaze with delight
As the flock of cranes take flight
Into the blue skies.
The dream cherished in my heart
Since my boyhood has come true.

In March of 1991, His Highness the Crown Prince visited the Kushiro region of Hokkaido, where he saw a flock of cranes.

He had been wanting to see these cranes since his childhoon, and this poem expresses his feelings at seeing their flight through the skies.