Composed when I was in one of the aisles of the Shōchōjuin on the night of the 14th of the Seventh Month, and the moon was shining in.
ながめやる軒のしのぶの露の間にいたくなふけそ秋のよの月
| nagameyaru noki no shinobu no tsuyu no ma ni itaku na fuke so aki no yo no tsuki | Gazing out upon The ferns beneath the eaves, In the space between the dewdrops, Do not set so, O, moon, this autumn night! |
For a folding screen.
昨日までよそにおもひしあやめ草けふ我がやどの妻とみるかな
| kinoFu made yoso ni omoFisi ayamegusa keFu wa ga yado no tuma to miru kana | Until yesterday Distant did I think us, but As a sweet flag Today from my house’s Eaves, my wife I see! |
Ōnakatomi no Yoshinobu
Sent to a lady’s house attached to a frond of fern which had taken on autumn colours.
わが恋もいまは色にやいでなまし軒のしのぶも紅葉しにけり
| wa ga koi mo ima wa iro ni ya idenamashi noki no shinobu mo momijishinikeri | Does my love, too, Now with such passionate hues Reveal itself, I wonder? Secretly beneath my eaves the ferns Have turned scarlet. |
The Hanazono Minister of the Left
After I had had various people compose on the scent of plum carried on the breeze.
このねぬるあさけの風にかをるなり軒ばの梅の春のはつ花
| kono nenuru asake no kaze ni kaoru nari nokiba no ume no haru no hatsubana | Having slept The dawntime breeze Is scented: Beneath my eaves the plum Shows spring’s first blossom. |
Plum blossom at an ancient estate.
たれにかもむかしをとはむ故郷の軒ばの梅は春をこそしれ
| tare ni kamo mukashi o towamu furusato no nokiba no ume wa haru o koso shire | Who is it that Of days long gone I might enquire? At this ancient estate The plum beneath the eaves Knows spring well, yet… |
人しれぬ袖ぞ露けき逢ふことはかれのみまさる山のした草
| hito shirenu sode zo tsuyukeki au koto wa kare nomi masaru yama no shitagusa | Unknown to all My sleeves are drenched with dew; For our meetings Excel only in being withered As the scrub grass on the mountainside. |
[Nakako,] The Suō Handmaid
29
In reply.
おく山の下かげ草はかれやする軒ばにのみはおのれなりつつ
| oku yama no shitakagegusa wa kare ya suru nokiba ni nomi wa onore naritsutsu | Deep within the mountains, have The grasses growing in the trees’ dark shade Really withered away? Simply beneath your eaves, Is where I ever am… |
The Consultant Middle Captain
30
Round Nine: Quiet thoughts at Tanabata
Left
八重葎しげる軒ばをかき分けて星合の空をながめつるかな
| yae mugura shigeru nokiba o kakiwakete hoshiai no sora o nagametsuru kana | Eightfold thickets Grow lushly beneath my eaves; Pulling them apart upon The sky of trysting stars Will I turn my gaze! |
Taira no Sadatsugu[1]
Right
七夕のあふよの程は思ひやる心さへこそ空にすみけれ
| tanabata no au yo no hodo wa omoiyaru kokoro sae koso sora ni sumikere | Tanabata is A night for meeting—throughout it I am filled with longing: Even my very heart Does dwell among the skies. |
Fujiwara no Kaneyuki[2]
[1] Taira no Sadatsugu 平貞継. The identity of this individual is unclear. This poem is his sole appearance in a poetry contest.
[2] 藤原兼行
