A Message in 31 Kana  Characters
　The waka  poems for competitive karuta/are called Ogura Hyakunin Isshu.// It is said/that these poems were compiled by Fujiwara no Sadaie/in the 13th century.// They are a collection of 100 great poems/by 100 poets/written mostly in the Nara and Heian periods.//
　People in those days,/particularly aristocrats,/wrote waka  on various occasions.// They expressed/what they saw and heard in each season,/what they liked, etc./in 31 kana  characters.// They often wrote waka/as personal letters,/especially as love letters.// In fact,/43 of the 100 poems in the collection/are about love.// Many of the poets described/how much they longed for someone.// How romantic!//