A place where a flute is playing.
ふえのねはすみぬなれどもふくかぜになべてもかすむはるの空かな
fue no ne wa
suminu naredomo
fuku kaze ni
nabete mo kasumu
haru no sora kana | The flute’s notes
Have ended, yet
Blown by the wind
Together they haze
The springtime sky. |
Fujiwara no Takatō (949-1013)
藤原高遠
On plucking the zither, playing the flute, and enjoying herself somewhere.
聞く人のみみさへさむく秋風に吹きあはせたる笛のこゑかな
kiku hito no
mimi sae samuku
akikaze ni
fukiawasetaru
fue no koe kana | The folk listening
Have even had their ear chilled
By the autumn breeze
Blowing to them together with
The flute’s notes! |
Izumi Shikibu (?-976?)
和泉式部
Zithers 筝
まつかぜの吹くにかよひてことの音は秋のしらべの身にもしむかな
matsukaze no
fuku ni kayoite
koto no ne wa
aki no shirabe no
mi ni mo shimu kana | The wind through pine trees
Blowing blending with
A zither’s notes—
The melodies of autumn
Do pierce my soul! |
Daishin
Zithers 筝
くり返しむかしのことをひきかけてしらぶるからにねこそながるれ
kurikaeshi
mukashi no koto o
hikikakete
shiraburu kara ni
ne koso nagarure | Time and time again
An ancient zither
Is played, and
When tuned, its
Notes flow all the better! |
Higo
Zithers 筝
さ夜ふけて物の音たかくなりぬらししらぶることはことぢあぐなり
sayo fukete
mono no ne takaku
narinurashi
shiraburu koto wa
kotoji agu nari | Brief night breaks, and
The notes do louder
Seem to grow;
Tuned, a zither
Is lifted by its bridge. |
Kanemasa
Zithers 筝
ことのねのことぢにむせぶ夕ぐれはけもいよだちぬそぞろさむさに
koto no ne no
kotoji ni musebu
yūgure wa
ke mo iyodachinu
sozoro samosa ni | A zither’s notes
Span a tearful
Evening, as
My hair stands on end
With the sudden chill. |
Toshiyori
Zithers 筝
ことのねをひきくらべてやしらべまし秋風なれば身にもしむかな
koto no ne o
hikikurabete ya
shirabemashi
aki kaze nareba
mi ni mo shimu kana | A zither’s notes
Plucked out—
O, how I would tune them!
For the autumn wind
Does pierce my soul! |
Akinaka
Flutes 笛
此さとに神楽やすらん笛の音のさ夜ふけがたにきこゆなりけり
kono sato ni
kagura ya suran
fue no ne no
sayo fukegata ni
kikoyu narikeri | At this hamlet,
I wonder, is there sacred dance?
For a flute’s notes
At brief night’s breaking
Do I hear. |
Higo
Flutes 笛
吹きたつる笛のしらべの声きけばのどけきちりもあらじとぞおもふ
fukitatsuru
fue no shirabe no
koe kikeba
nodokeki chiri mo
araji to zo omou | When, soaring,
A flute’s melodious
Notes I hear,
Leisurely lacks
Have they none, I feel. |
Nakazane
Flutes 笛
笛竹のよをさへ月やてらすらん空にも声のすみのぼるかな
fuetake no
yo o sae tsuki ya
terasuran
sora ni mo koe no
suminoboru kana | Is it the flute that
Tonight does make the moon
Seem to shine so bright?
Into the sky its notes
So clearly climb! |
Akinaka
'Simply moving and elegant'