One day, he was summoned to the Thunder Pavilion to take wine with His Majesty; rain was falling fiercely as evening drew on and when he rose to take his leave, he took his wine-cup and…
秋はぎの花をば雨にぬらせども君をばましてをしとこそおもへ
| aki Fagi no Fana woba ame ni nurasedomo kimi woba masite osi to koso omoFe | The autumn bush clover’s Blooms by the raindrops Have been soaked, yet, My lord, far more Do I regret leaving you. |
The Beginning of Autumn
Left (Win—in a certain book Tie)
しぐれにもあめにもあらぬはつぎりのたつにもそらはさしくもりけり
| shigure ni mo ame ni mo aranu hatsugiri no tatsu ni mo sora wa sashikumorikeri | Neither a shower Nor rain, The first mists Simply rise into the skies And cover all with cloud. |
11
Right
としごとにあふとはすれどたなばたのぬるよのかずぞすくなかりける
| toshi goto ni au to suredo tanabata no nuru yo no kazu zo sukunakarikeru | Every year She meets him, yet The Weaver Maid’s Nights of passion Are few indeed. |
Mitsune
12
On the conception of love, in a hundred poem sequence.
あふ事のむなしき空のうき雲は身をしる雨の便りなりけり
| au koto no munashiki sora no ukigumo wa mi o shiru ame no tayori narikeri | Meeting you is A vain hope—empty as the skies, where Drifting clouds are The rainfall of my misery’s Harbingers. |
Prince Kore’akira
惟明親王
An allusive variation on KKS XIV: 705.
Around the last day of the Fifth Month, when she had been lying awake all night, filled with gloomy thoughts.
限りあればこよひにつきぬさみだれも身をしるあめはいつかをやまん
| kagiri areba koyoi ni tsukinu samidare mo mi o shiru ame wa itsuka o yaman | All things have an end, so This night’s endless Showers— The rainfall of my misery— O, when might they cease to fall? |
Lady Aki, in service to the Empress Ikuhōmon’in
郁芳門院安芸
On love in the rain, when she presented a hundred poem sequence for the Hōji hyakushu [1248].
おもひきやなみだにしぼる袖に猶身をしる雨をそへん物とは
| omoiki ya namida ni shiboru sode ni nao mi o shiru ame o soen mono to wa | Never did I think, that I would wring the tears From my sleeves yet still The rain upon my misery Would add to it… |
Tsuchimikado-in no Kosaishō
土御門院小宰相
Rain on a spring evening.
つれづれと雨ふりくらす春の日はつねよりながき物にぞ有りける
| tsurezure to ame furikurasu haru no hi wa tsune yori nagaki mono ni zo arikeru | Idly The rain falls, darkening The springtime sun— How much longer than normal It does seem to last… |
Shōgimon’in[1]
[1] Shōgimon’in 章義門院 (?-1336) was the title given to Imperial Princess Yoshiko 誉子, the second daughter of Emperor Fushimi.
Left
あき風にほころびぬらむ藤ばかまつづりさせてふきりぎりす鳴く
| akikaze ni hokorobinuramu fujibakama tsuzurisase chō kirigirisu naku | The autumn wind Seems to have burst the buds of The asters ‘Sew them back together!’ say The crickets’ cries. |
Ariwara no Muneyana
94
Right
秋の夜のあめときこえて降りつるは風に散りつる紅葉なりけり
| aki no yo no ame to kikoete furitsuru wa kaze ni chiritsuru momiji narikeri | On an autumn night The sound of rain Falling is The wind scattered Scarlet leaves. |
95