もみぢばは道もなきまで散りしきぬわがやどをとふ人しなければ
momijiba wa
michi mo naki made
chirishikinu
wa ga yado o tou
hito shi nakereba | Scarlet leaves—
The path is gone
With their scattered spreading,
For visiting my home
Comes not a single soul… |
秋はぎのしたばの紅葉うつろひぬなが月のよの風のさむさに
akihagi no
shitaba no momiji
utsuroinu
nagatsuki no yo no
kaze no samusa ni | The autumn bush clover’s
Scarlet under-leaves
Have faded all away,
For on nights in the Longest Month
The wind is cold, indeed… |
A poem on the dusk of autumn.
秋ふかみすそののま葛かれがれにうらむる風の音のみぞする
aki fukami
susono no makuzu
karegare ni
uramuru kaze no
oto nomi zo suru | In the depths of autumn
On the foothills’ skirting slopes, the arrowroot
Withers away as
The hateful wind
Makes the only sound. |
On the conception of autumn turning cold early, when frost falls in the Ninth Month.
虫のねもほのかに成りぬ花すすき秋のすゑばに霜や置くらん
mushi no ne mo
honoka ni narinu
hanasususki
aki no sueba ni
shimo ya okuran | The insects’ cries, too,
Have grown faint—
Upon the miscanthus’
Autumn fronds
Might frost have fallen? |
年ごとに秋のわかれはあまたあれどけふのくるるぞわびしかりける
toshi goto ni
aki no wakare wa
amata aredo
kyō no kururu zo
wabishikarikeru | In very single year
From autumn do I part—
So many times I’ve done it, yet
As today darkens into dusk
I am filled with lonely sorrow. |
On regretting the passage of autumn.
なが月の在明の月のつきずのみくる秋ごとにをしきけふかな
nagatsuki no
ariake no tsuki no
tsukizu nomi
kuru aki goto ni
oshiki kyō kana | In the Longest Month
Of the dawntime moon
I simply cannot get enough, so
With every autumn’s coming
Today fills me with regret! |
はかなくてくれぬとおもふをおのづから在明の月に秋ぞのこれる
hakanakute
kurenu to omou o
onozukara
ariake no tsuki ni
aki zo nokoreru | How swiftly
Did it reach its end, thought
I, but
In the dawntime moon does
Autumn linger. |
かりなきてさむきあさけの露霜にやののかみ山色づきにけり
kari nakite
samuki asake no
tsuyujimo ni
yano no kamiyama
irozukinikeri | The geese cry and
At a dawn so chill
Frosted dewfall turns
Divine Mount Yano
To autumn hues. |
Composed on the end of autumn.
かりなきてふく風さむみたかまどの野べのあさぢは色付きにけり
kari nakite
fuku kaze samumi
takamado no
nobe no asaji wa
irozukinikeri | The geese are crying and
The gusting wind is chill;
At Takamado
Across the meadows the cogon grass
Has taken on autumn hues. |
On hearing geese cry
けさきなくかりがねさむみから衣たつたの山は紅葉しにけり
kesa kinaku
kari ga ne samumi
karakoromo
tatsuta no yama wa
momijshinikeri | This morning calling as they come
The goose cries are cold, indeed,
A Cathay robe upon
Tatsuta Mountain,
The leaves all turning scarlet. |
'Simply moving and elegant'
