Round One Hundred and Forty-Eight

Left

くらきよりくらき道にぞ入りぬべきはるかにてらせ山のはの月

kuraki yori kuraki michi ni zo irinubeki haruka ni terase yama no ha no tsuki

From darkening On a shadowed path I must make my way; Let it faintly shine, The moon upon the mountain’s edge.

Izumi Shikibu
295[1]

Right

色かへぬ竹の葉しろく月さえてつもらぬ雪をはらふ秋かぜ

iro kaenu take no ha shiroku tsuki saete tsumoranu yuki o harau akikaze

The unchanging hue of The bamboo leaves turns white Beneath the chilly moon— Snow that never drifts With the brush of autumn breezes.

Kunaikyō
296[2]

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[1] Shūishū XX: 1342: Composed and sent to the Monk Shoku.

[2] Shinsenzaishū IV: 416: On the wind in the bamboo before the moon.

Round One Hundred and Forty-Seven

Left

うつろはでしばししのだの森を見よかへりもぞするくずのうらかぜ

utsurowade shibashi shinoda no mori o miyo kaeri mo zo suru kuzu no ura kaze

Turn not! And For a while on Shinoda Forest rest your gaze! For it may return again: The breeze ‘neath the arrowroot leaves.

293[1]

Right

きえぬべき露の我が身の置所いづれの野べの草葉なるらん

kienubeki tsuyu no wa ga mi no okidokoro izure no nobe no kusaba naruran

Surely to vanish As the dewdrops is my lot, and The place I fall Will be in some meadow Among the blades of grass, no doubt…

294[2]

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[1] Shinkokinshū XVIII: 1820: After Izumi Shikibu had been abandoned by Michisada, Akazome Emon heard that almost immediately Prince Atsumichi had begun to visit her, and sent her this.

[2] Shokukokinshū XV: 1422: Topic unknown.

Round One Hundred and Forty-Six

Left

つねよりもまたぬれそひし袂かなむかしをかけて落ちし涙に

tsune yori mo mata nuresoishi tamoto kana mukashi o kakete ochishi namida ni

More than ever, Soaked through are My sleeves! For bygone days I stored up The tears I let fall now…

291[1]

Right

いまはとてみざらん秋の空までもおもへばかなし夜半の月かげ

ima wa tote mizaran aki no sora made mo omoeba kanashi yowa no tsukikage

Now, it is, I think, that Unable to see even the autumn Skies, I am filled with sadness by The midnight moonlight.

292[2]

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[1] Senzaishū IX: 566: When she was in attendance on Empress Akiko, Her Majesty’s mien was that of recollecting a certain situation with His Majesty, Former Emperor Ichijō, so she presented this one morning, after she had withdrawn from Her Majesty’s presence.

[2] Shinchokusenshū XVI: 1090: Topic unknown.

Round One Hundred and Forty-Five

Left

神無月あり明のつきのしぐるるを又われならぬ人やみるらん

kaminazuki ariake no tsuki o shigururu o mata ware naranu hito ya miruran

In the Godless Month The moon at dawn shines Through the showers— Other than I, I wonder if he sees it, too?

Akazome Emon
289[1]

Right

花もまたわかれん春はおもひ出でよさきちるたびの心づくしを

hana mo mata wakaren haru wa omoi’ideyo saki chiru tabi no kokorozukushi o

O, blossom, will you, too, When we are parted by spring’s end Remember me! For when you bloom and scatter How desolate I am…

Inpumon’in no Taiyu
290[2]

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[1] Shikashū IX: 324: When she had something on her mind and was unable to sleep, she sat awake all night gazing at the bright moon until dawn, and composed this when her garden became slightly darkened by a shower.

[2] Shinkokinshū II: 143: Composed as a poem on blossom. Also: Inpumon’in no taiyu-shū 22.