Cormorant Fishing on the River(鵜河)
おちくだるほかげにみればますらをはたもといとなくあゆこくむらし
ochikudaru
hokage ni mireba
masuraro wa
tamoto itonaku
ayuko kumurashi | Dropping down
The firelight reveals
Brawny men,
Sleeves seeming unceasing in
Scooping sweetfish sprats. |
Toshiyori
Cormorant Fishing on the River(鵜河)
おちくだるう舟のかがりあかければ夜川のそこもすみまさりけり
ochikudaru
ubune no kagari
akakereba
yogawa no soko mo
sumi masarikeri | Dropping down
The cormorant boats’ torchlight
Is so bright
Even the night-time riverbed
Is crystal clear. |
Nakazane
Cormorant Fishing on the River(鵜河)
う舟おほくくだす時しもたき川にやなくづれして鮎子さわげる
ubune ōku
kudasu toki shimo
takigawa ni
yana kuzureshite
ayuko sawageru | Cormorant boats without number
Head downstream; even then
In the torrents,
Shattering the fish-traps,
So raucous are the sweetfish sprats! |
Akinaka
When Prince Katsura had said ‘Catch some fireflies,’ and one of the boys had them wrapped up in the sleeves of his jacket.
つつめどもかくれぬ物は夏虫の身よりあまれる思ひなりけり
tutumedomo
kakurenu mono Fa
natumusi no
mi yori amareru
omoFinarikeri | Wrapped up, yet
Unconcealable are
The summer insects:
Their bodies bringing an excess
Of passion’s fires. |
Anonymous
Topic unknown.
やへむぐらしげきやどには夏虫の声より外に問ふ人もなし
yaFemugura
sigeki yado ni Fa
natumusi no
kowe yori Foka ni
toFu Fito mo nasi | The tangled, overlapping creepers
A lush dwelling do make;
The summer insects’
Songs apart
No folk come to call. |
Anonymous
Topic unknown.
夏虫をなにかいひけむ心から我も思ひにもえぬへらなり
natumusi o
nani ka iFikemu
kokoro kara
ware mo omoFi ni
moenuberanari | About the summer insects
What is there to say?
From deep within my heart
I, too, with fires of passion
Can only burn! |
Mitsune
Topic unknown.
夏虫の身をいたづらになすこともひとつ思ひによりてなりけり
natumusi no
mi wo itadura ni
nasu koto mo
Fitotu omoFi ni
yorite narikeri | Just as the summer insects
Heedlessly their bodies
Treat,
So I, in the flame of a single passion
Do… |
Anonymous
Summer Insects (夏虫)
なにごとをいとかくばかり夏虫のおもひあまりて身をこがすらん
nanigoto o
ito kaku bakari
natsumushi no
omoiamarite
mi o kogasuran | What is it that
So simply
The summer insects
Does drive to desperation, and
Seem to set their flesh to smouldering? |
Daishin
Summer Insects (夏虫)
露のいのちはかなくみゆる夏虫のたれを思ひに身をこがすらん
tsuyu no inochi
hakanaku miyuru
natsumushi no
tare o omoi ni
mi ni kogasuran | A dewdrop life
So brief does seem;
The summer insects:
For whom might the fires of their passion
Set their flesh to smouldering? |
Higo
Summer Insects (夏虫)
くさむらにすむ夏虫は去年の秋くちし下葉のなるにや有るらん
kusamura ni
sumu natsumushi wa
kozo no aki
kuchishi shitaba no
naru ni ya aruran | In clumps of grass
Do dwell the summer insects:
The autumn of yesteryear’s
Withered underleaves
Will they truly become? |
Kanemasa
'Simply moving and elegant'