Rain on Cherished Blossoms

Odd happenings put the verse on alert, and people are shown separating from their home. Someone who loves the flowers finds rain falling on them. A cup of wine, of all small things, sets off pointless argument.

The troubles range from a broken household to a spoiled afternoon, and the book prints one grade over them all, Kyo, Bad fortune. The verse treats them as parts of a single unsettled picture.

Viewed from today, the last two lines are the more familiar ones, about pleasures that turn sour and small remarks that grow. Consider how little it can take for an ordinary moment to tip.