きくの露わかゆばかりにそでふれて花のあるじに千代はゆづらむ
kiku no tsuyu
wakayu bakari ni
sode furete
hana no aruji ni
chiyo wa yuzuramu | Chrysanthemum dew a little
Youth, just, will
Bring to my sleeves;
To the flower’s mistress
I would gift a thousand generations! |
人にまだをられぬものをたれにこのすきものぞとはくちならしけん
hito ni mada
orarenu mono o
tare ka kono
sukimono zo to wa
kuchinarashiken | No man has yet
To pick me, so
Who is it that might have
A sour but saucy
Taste within his mouth? |
Murasaki Shikibu
すき物と名にしたてればみる人のをらですぐるはあらじとぞおもふ
sukimono to
na ni shi tatereba
miru hito no
orade suguru wa
araji to zo omou | Sour but saucy
Is what folk say, so
At the sight, there’s no man
Would pass by and not pick one up—
Of that I’m sure! |
Michinaga
しら露はわきてもおかじをみなへし心からにや色のそむらむ
shiratsuyu wa
wakite mo okaji
ominaeshi
kokoro kara ni ya
iro no somuramu | Silver dewdrops
Fall where they will, so
Surely, ’tis the maidenflower’s
Own heart that
Stains her with such hues? |
Michinaga
をみなへしさかりの色をみるからにつゆのわきける身こそしらるれ
ominaeshi
sakari no iro o
miru kara ni
tsuyu no wakikeru
mi koso shirarure | This maidenflower’s
Vibrant hues
I see, and
That the dew makes no difference
To me—how well I know it! |
Murasaki Shikibu
けふのまの心にかへておもひやれながめつつのみすぐす心を
kyō no ma no
kokoro ni kaete
omoiyare
nagametsutsu nomi
sugusu kokoro o | One day long last
Your feelings, but instead
Imagine:
Ever gazing simply at the falling rain
Spending time so—how might one feel? |
Izumi Shikibu
うちいででもありにしものを中中にくるしきまでもなげくけふかな
uchi’idedemo
arinishi mono o
nakanaka ni
kurushiki made mo
nageku kyō kana | So open
Was I that
In extreme
Agonies of
Grief am I today! |
Prince Atsumichi
おなじ枝になきつつをりしほととぎすこゑはかはらぬものとしらずや
onaji e ni
nakitsutsu orishi
hototogisu
koe wa kawaranu
mono to shirazu ya | On the same branch,
Always singing was
This cuckoo, too,
His song ever unchanging—
Do you really not know that? |
Prince Atsumichi
かをるかによそふるよりはほととぎすきかばやおなじこゑやしたると
kaoru ka ni
yosouru yori wa
hototogisu
kikaba ya onaji
koe ya shitaru to | Scenting their fragrance
In place of his – rather
The cuckoo
I would hear, wondering if his call
Is just the same… |
Izumi Shikibu
Left
おもひをばいかにしればかなつむしのもゆるなかにもいりまどふらん
omoi oba
ika ni shireba ka
natsumushi no
moyuru naka ni mo
irimadouran | How, my fiery passion
Will you recognise?
With the fireflies’
Flames
Does it seem to blend! |
3
Created with Soan.
Right
こひすとてみはいたづらにならばなれわれなつむしになりやしなまし
koisu tote
mi wa itazura ni
naraba nare
ware natsumushi ni
nari ya shinamashi | ‘I’ll fall in love!’ I say, and
If that’s pointless, then
So be it!
I’d rather a firefly
Become and meet my death! |
4
Created with Soan.
'Simply moving and elegant'
