Love carried on the wind.
きくやいかにうはのそらなる風だにもまつにおとするならひありとは
kiku ya ika ni
uwa no sora naru
kaze dani mo
matsu ni otosuru
narai ari to wa |
Do you hear it? Well?
From the heavens’ heights
Even the wind,
To come whispering among the pines
Has grown accustomed. |
Lady Kunaikyō
From when she presented a fifty poem sequence.
からにしき秋のかたみやたつた山ちりあへぬえだに嵐ふくなり
karanishiki
aki no katami ya
tatsuta yama
chiriaenu eda ni
arashi fuku nari |
O, Cathay brocade:
Are you autumn’s keepsake?
On the mount of Tatsuta
Through the few remaining leaves
The storm comes blowing. |
Lady Kunaikyō
On the moon after rain.
月をなをまつらんものかむらさめのはれゆく雲のすゑのさと人
tsuki o nao
matsuran mono ka
murasame no
hareyuku kumo no
sue no satobito |
Is it still the moon
For whom you wait?
The drenching rain
Clouds clearing
My distant, homebound love. |
Lady Kunaikyō (d. ca 1204 – 5)
'Simply moving and elegant'