Sent when he had returned home from a lady’s house on a day when the snow was falling.
あけぬればくるる物とはしりながらなほうらめしきあさぼらけかな
| akenureba kururu mono to Fa sirinagara naFo uramesiki asaborake kana | Dawn has broken, and That dusk will come I know for certain, but Still, I hate The morning light! |
Fujiwara no Michinobu
Sent on the morning that the Sanjō Regent Junior Consort was presented at court.
あさぼらけおきつる霜の消えかへりくれまつほどの袖を見せばや
| asaborake okitsuru shimo no kiekaeri kure matsu hodo no sode o miseba ya | With dawn’s first light The fallen frost Vanishes away; Waiting for the evening, for Then would I show you my sleeves… |
Former Emperor Kazan
When the Lay Priest Regent came to call and sent in to say that he was going to go away unhappy, because she had been slow in opening the gate.
なげきつつひとりぬるよのあくるまはいかに久しき物とかはしる
| nagekitutu Fitori nuru yo no akuru ma Fa ika ni Fisasiki mono to ka wa shiru | Ever grieving, Sleeping solo all night until The gates of dawn do open: What an eternity that is— I wonder if you know! |
The Mother of Michitsuna, Major Captain of the Right
Composed around the time Lord Kintada passed away.
物をのみおもひねざめのまくらにはなみだかからぬあかつきぞなき
| mono o nomi omoi nezame no makura ni wa namida kakaranu akatsuki zo naki | Gloom, alone, fills My thoughts—on waking My pillow Remains untouched by tears On no single dawn at all… |
Lord Minamoto no Sane’akira
Presented to the Ōmi Concubine.
はかなくもあけにけるかな朝露のおきてののちぞきえまさりける
| hakanaku mo akenikeru kana asatsuyu no okite no nochi zo kiemasarikeru | How swiftly Dawn has broken! The morning dew Arises, then Vanishes so skillfully—as do you! |
A composition by the Engi Emperor [Daigo]
Composed when he composed ten poems about the moon.
今よりはふけ行くまでに月はみじそのこととなく涙おちけり
| ima yori Fa Fukeyuku made ni tuki Fa mizi sono koto to naku namida otikeri | From now Until the break of dawn I shall not look upon the moon; For no particular reason My tears are falling. |
Lord Fujiwara no Kiyosuke
Left
夏夜のまだもねなくにあけぬれば昨日今日ともおもひまどひぬ
| natsu no yo no mada mo nenaku ni akenureba kinō kyō tomo omoimadoinu | On a summer night, Still sleep has eluded me, When dawn breaks— Is it yet yesterday, or today, I wonder in confusion. |
74
Right
うのはなのさけるかきねは白雲のおりゐるとこそあやまたれけれ
| u no hana no sakeru kakine wa shirakumo no ori’iru to koso ayamatarekere | Deutzia flowers Are blooming by the brushwood fence— Clouds of white Have descended there, I think— How strange… |
75
Ten Poems on the Third Month
Left (Tie)
みてかへるこころあかねばさくらばなさけるあたりにやどやからまし
| mitekaeru kokoro akaneba sakurabana sakeru atari ni yado ya karamashi | Seeing you and returning home Leaves my heart unsated, O, cherry blossom! In the place where you do bloom is Where I would borrow lodging… |
Okikaze
21
Right
しののめにおきてみつればさくらばなまだよをこめてちりにけるかな
| shinonome ni okite mitsureba sakurabana mada yo o komete chirinikeru kana | At the edge of dawn, When I arise to gaze upon The cherry blossoms Within the night’s span Have they scattered! |
Yorimoto
22
The Right’s poem was just as His Majesty said: ‘It expresses affection for the blossom through gazing and gazing upon them.’ When it was suggested to him that the work produced by Lord Sadakata and Lord Noboru conveyed the same overall impression, he took his time to consider the matter, then said, ‘In that case,’ and made the round a tie.
When a man who had come to see her around the Eighth Month left behind his fan, which was decorated with a picture of bamboo leaves spotted with dewdrops, after some time had passed, she returned it, with this.
しののめにおきてわかれし人よりはひさしくとまる竹の葉の露
| shinonome ni okite wakareshi hito yori wa hisashiku tomaru take no ha no tsuyu | At the break of dawn He rose and left— That man, but Much longer lingered Dewdrops on the bamboo leaves. |
Izumi Shikibu