Sent to a lady with whom he had simply been exchanging letters for some years.
水鳥のはかなきあとに年をへてかよふばかりのえにこそ有りけれ
midutori no
hakanaki ato ni
tosi wo Fete
kayoFu bakari no
e ni koso arikere | Waterbirds leave
But transient traces as
The years go by—
This simple back-and-forth is
All we truly have! |
Anonymous
The Path Across the Shiga Mountains (志賀山越)
まだしらぬ人と友にぞこえにけるしがの山ぢの跡もなけれど
mada shiranu
hito to tomo ni zo
koenikeru
shiga no yamaji no
ato mo nakeredo | With an unknown
Companion, together
Have I crossed
Shiga’s mountain paths
Leaving traces none, and yet… |
Akinaka
Composed at the bridge at Nagara.
橋柱ながらましかば流れての名をこそ聞かめ跡を見ましや
Fasibasira
nagaramasikaba
nagarete no
na wo koso kikame
ato wo mimasi ya |
These bridge pillars
Were there not at Nagara,
Should the current of the world
Bring the name to one’s ears,
Would one even see its traces? |
Former Major Councillor Kintō
前大納言公任
'Simply moving and elegant'
