Composed when he was in China, gazing up at the moon.
あまの原ふりさけ見ればかすがなるみかさの山にいでし月かも
| ama no Fara Furisakemireba kasuga naru mikasa no yama ni idesi tuki kamo |
To the fields of heaven, I lift my gaze; In Kasuga Above Mount Mikasa Appeared the selfsame moon. |
Abe no Nakamaro (ca 700-770)
It is told that, a long time ago, Nakamaro had been sent to China to study and, after many years without being able to return home, he had the chance to take passage with a Japanese embassy; on saying he was departing , some Chinese gave him a farewell banquet at a place called Meishū (Mingzhou) on the coast. When it grew dark, he saw that a particularly beautiful moon was shining, and composed this poem.