Composed on the night when coming-of-age ceremonies were held for the son and daughter of the Captain of the Outer Palace Guards, in the Twelfth Month, Shōhei 5 [935].
大原やをしほの山の小松原はやこだかかれ千世のかげみん
| ōhara ya oshio no yama no komatsubara haya kodaka kare chiyo no kage min | In Ōhara On Oshio Mountain Among the young pine groves Fly swiftly, fledgling hawk, For you will see the light of a thousand generations! |
Left 白雪の降りつもれる山里は人さへやおもひ消ゆらむ[1]
| shirayuki no furitsumoreru yamazato wa sumu hito sae ya omoikiyuramu | White snow Has fallen, drifted high around The mountain home; Might even he who lives there Be buried in melancholy? |
This poem is missing from some texts of the contest and thus is unnumbered.
Right
ひかりまつ枝にかかれる雪をこそ冬の花とはいふべかりけれ
| hikari matsu eda ni kakareru yuki o koso fuyu no hana to wa iubekarikere | Awaiting the light Upon the branches clings Snow: Winter’s blossom—that’s what It should be called! |
144
[1] Kokinshū VI: 328, attributed to Mibu no Tadamine.
Left
秋のせみさむき声にぞきこゆなる木のはの衣を風やぬぎつる
| aki no semi samuki koe ni zo kikoyunaru ko no ha no kinu o kaze ya nugitsuru | In the autumn, the cicadas’ Chill song I hear; Has the trees’ garb of leaves Been stripped from them by the wind? |
112[1]
Right
あきの夜の月の影こそ木の間よりおちてはきぬとみえわたりけれ
| aki no yo no tsuki no kage koso ko no ma yori ochite wa kinu to miewatarikere | On an autumn night The moon’s light, truly, From between the trees Does come a’falling Everywhere, it seems. |
113
[1] Shinsen man’yōshū 109/Fubokushō XIII: 5422
Left
秋のよのあまてる月の光にはおく白露を玉とこそ見れ
| aki no yo no ama teru tsuki no hikari ni wa oku shiratsuyu o tama to koso mire | On an autumn night The heaven-shining moon’s Light upon The fallen silver dewdrops Truly, makes them seem as jewels. |
98[1]
Right
あきののにおける露をばひとりぬる我が涙とも思ひしれかし
| aki no no ni okeru tsuyu oba hitori nuru wa ga namida to mo omoishire kashi | Upon the autumn fields Drop dewdrops; Sleeping alone, My tears— Think on them, why don’t you! |
99
[1] Shinchokusenshū V: 281/Shinsen man’yōshū 95
Left
夏の月ひかりをしまず照る時はながるる水にかげろふぞたつ
| natsu no tsuki hikari o shimazu teru toki wa nagaruru mizu ni kagerō zo tatsu | When summer moon’s Light lightly Shines From the running waters Haze arises! |
74
Right
琴の音にひびきかよへる松風はしらべても鳴く蝉の声かな
| koto no ne ni hibikikayoeru matsukaze wa shirabetemo naku semi no koe kana | A zither’s strains Echoing back and forth: The wind through the pines, In tune with the cries In the cicadas’ song! |
75[1]
[1] Shinshūishū III: 303/Shinsen man’yōshū 73/Kokin rokujō I: 398/Fubokushō IX: 3584
A poem from the Poetry Contest held by the Empress Dowager during the reign of the Kanpyō Emperor.
秋のよのあまてる月の光にはおく白露を玉とこそ見れ
| aki no yo no ama teru tsuki no hikari ni wa oku shiratsuyu o tama to koso mire | On an autumn night The heaven-shining moon’s Light upon The fallen silver dewdrops Truly, makes them seem as jewels. |
Anonymous
あきのよの月のひかりはきよけれどひとのこころのくまはてらさず[1]
| aki no yo no tsuki no hikari wa kiyokeredo hito no kokoro no kuma wa terasazu | On an autumn night The moon’s light is So clear, yet upon Her heart’s Depths it fails to shine. |
55
ゆふだすきかけてのみこそこひしけれあきとしなればひと
| yūdasuki kakete no koso koishikere aki to shi nareba hito | Cords of mulberry cloth Hung, are all the more Dear; When the autumn comes, She… |
56
The final words of this poem have not survived, so we need to use our imaginations to think of how it might have concluded.
On the tenth day of the Eighth Month, Kanna 1,[1] His Majesty[2] entered the Courtiers’ Hall briefly and divided the gentlemen in attendance into teams for a poetry contest. His Majesty’s partner was Supernumerary Middle Counsellor Kintō, and he provided of the four topics. Judgements were by Koreshige.
Moon
Left (Win)
あきのよのつきにこころはあくがれてくもゐにものをおもふころかな
| aki no yo no tsuki ni kokoro wa akugarete kumoi ni mono o omou koro kana | On an autumn night By the moon is my heart Entranced; Things beyond the clouds Fill my thoughts a while! |
His Majesty
1
Right
いつもみるつきぞとおもへどあきのよはいかなるかげをそふるなるらん
| itsumo miru tsuki zo to omoe aki no yo wa ikanaru kage o souru naruran | Every time I see The moon it fills my thoughts, but On an autumn night What light is it that Does seem to cover all? |
Lord Kintō
2
[1] 28.8.985
[2] Emperor Kazan 花山 (968-1008; r. 984-986).