Sarumaru no Taifu

Sarumaru no Taifu, also known as Sarumaru no Dayū (猿丸大夫, sarumaru no taifu/dayū^?) was a waka poet in the early Heian period. He is a member of the Thirty Six Poetic Sages (三十六歌仙, sanjūrokkasen^?), but there are no detailed histories or legends about him. There is a possibility that there never was such a person. Some believe him to have been Prince Yamashiro no Ōe.

Poetry example

The following waka is attributed to Taifu. It is a classic Autumn Poem (秋歌, aki no uta^?).

おく山にもみぢふみわけなく鹿の
こゑきく時ぞ秋はかなしき
oku yama ni momiji fumiwake nakushika no kowe kiku toki zo aki ha kanashiki
loosely: Deep in the mountains, as I hear the cries of deer walking through momiji— Oh! How sad the Autumn feels to me!
(Kokinshū 4:215, and also in Ogura Hyakunin Isshu:5)

References

Papinot, Edmond (1910). Historical and geographical dictionary of Japan. Tokyo: Librarie Sansaisha.

This article is based on information in the equivalent article in the Japanese wikipedia.

Persondata
Name	Sarumaru No Taifu
Alternative names
Short description	Poet
Date of birth
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death