Kokinshu 305

Let me pause to watch
before I cross:
though they fall like rain
the red leaves
will not swell the river's waters.

I feel that this poem really draws attention to the beauty of autumn. The speaker in the poem takes time to stop and gaze upon the falling of the autumn leaves around them, speaking to their significance. The leaves are then compared to the rain, but also contrasted. By saying the leaves fall like rain, the reader can both tie the leaves to another beautiful image; that of the falling of rain, but can also contrast how the leaves are different from the rain in the next two lines, where both the color and effect of the leaves contrasts that of rain. In doing so, one may be reminded of the melancholy image of rain, while still being assured that though the leaves are similar in one aspect, they will not swell or agitate the river, like rain or tears might.
The beauty of the two contrasting but similar elements in this poem is what really drew me towards it; both the rain and the bright colors of the fall leaves are some of my favorite sights and I think that by almost looking at both at once, each image seems more beautiful than it might on its own. The river I felt also added a lot to the poem, as it presented me with an image of an almost nonstop flow of bright red leaves decorating its surface.