Once, when Retired Emperor Reizei (950-1011; r. 967-969) was Crown Prince, the gentlemen were composing poems on the spirit of waiting for the moon:
有明の月の光を待つほどに我が世のいたくふけにける哉
| ariake no tuki no Fikari wo matu Fodo ni wa ga yo no itaku Fukenikeru kana |
While from the dawning sky The moon’s light I have awaited, For me it has become very Late, indeed! |
Fujiwara no Nakafumi (923-992)
Reizei was Crown Prince from the 23rd day of the Seventh Month 950 until the 25th day of the Fifth Month 967.
In the poem, the “moon’s light” is a reference to the Prince’s patronage, which Nakafumi feels he has grown old awaiting.