Composed when a man who had said she could definitely rely on him to come with the evening, said she would not see him until the 20th of the month.
契りおきし人も梢の木間よりたのめぬ月の影ぞもりくる
| tigiri okisi Fito mo kozuwe no ko no ma yori tanomenu tuki no kage zo morikuru |
He promised, but He does not come, and from the treetops Through the trees The fickle moon’s Light comes dripping. |
Horikawa, from the Regent’s Household
摂政家堀川
Composed on love at the dawn.
さりともと思ふ限は忍ばれて鳥と共にぞ音は鳴かれける
| saritomo to omoFu kagiri Fa sinobarete tori to tomo ni zo ne Fa nakareru |
“Even if it’s so…” The depth of my love I will conceal and Simply with the birds Cry myself out. |
Head of the Department of Shintō [Minamoto no] Akinaka
神祇伯顕仲
逢ふ事のなきを浮田の杜にすむ呼子鳥こそ我が身なりけれ
| aFu koto no naki wo ukita no mori ni sumu yobukodori koso wa ga mi narikere |
That meet we Do not is hard; in Ukita’s Sacred groves will I dwell, and As an ever crying bird Shall I become! |
Fujiwara no Tamezane
藤原為真
This poem only appears in variant editions of the Kin’yōshū text.
Composed gazing at the moon when there were baseless rumours about her.
如何にせむ歎の杜は茂けれど木の間の月の隱れなき世を
| ika ni semu nageki no mori Fa sigekeredo ko no ma no tuki no kakurenaki yo wo |
What am I to do? The sacred groves of Nageki with grief Grow lush, yet Between the trees, from the moon There is no hiding in this world. |
The Daughter of Tachibana no Toshimune
橘俊宗女
Composed when a large number of the Junior Consort’s ladies conducted blossom-viewing during the reign of former Emperor Horikawa.
春毎にあかぬ匂をさくら花いかなる風のをしまざるらむ
| Faru goto ni akanu nioFi wo sakurabana ikanaru kaze no woshimazaruramu |
Every single spring Never am I sated by The cherry blossom; What breeze is it that Is not a cause of regret? |
Chikuzen Wet Nurse
筑前乳母
Composed on falling leaves.
三室山もみぢちるらし旅人の菅の小笠 ににしきおりかく
| mimuroyama momidi tirurasi tabibito no suge no wogasa ni siki orikaku |
Upon Mimuro Mountain The scarlet leaves seem to have fallen: For upon the traveller’s Little umbrella of sedge Are they spread all over. |
Minamoto no Tsunenobu
源経信
Composed when he was asked by people in the capital what the moon had been like, when he had returned there, after going to Akashi to gaze upon it, at a time when it was particularly bright.
有明の月もあかしの浦風に波ばかりこそよるとみえしか
| ariake no tuki mo akasi no urakaze ni nami bakari koso yoru to miesika |
The dawntime Moon’s brightness, with Akashi’s Beach breezes Simply with the waves Did seem to draw near with the night… |
Taira no Tadamori
平忠盛
When there had been a gale, and someone had called to see how she was, in the silence later, she wrote this and sent it.
荒かりし風の後より絶えするは蜘蛛手にすがく糸にやあるらん
| arakarisi kaze no noti yori taesuru Fa kumode ni sugaku ito ni ya aruran |
Wildly The wind has gone, and Broken are The spider’s spanning Webs – is that how we are to be? |
Sagami
相模
Composed when he had gone to Naniwa, and the moon was bright.
いにしへの難波の事を思出でゝ高津の宮に月のすむらむ
| inisiFe no naniFa no koto wo omoFi’idete takatu no miya ni tuki no sumuramu |
About ancient Naniwa I do recall: Above the palace at Takatsu How clear the moon does seem! |
Consultant Moriyori
参議師頼
Topic unknown.
かくとだにまだいはしろの結松むすぼほれたるわが心かな
| kaku to dani mada iFasiro no musubimatu musuboForetaru wa ga kokoro kana |
To this love I cannot give word – like Iwashiro’s Bound pines Ever tangled Is my heart… |
Minamoto no Akikuni (1055-1123)
源顕国