These are my modern English translations of haiku about plum blossoms, plums and plum trees. In Japanese poetry the plum ('ume') is associated with the beginning of spring and good fortune; plum trees were often planted to ward off bad luck. Plum blossoms are widely loved by the Japanese people; they symbolize refinement, purity, nobility and the remembrance of love.
Picking autumn plums
my wrinkled hands
...
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