Composed at a poetry competition at Prince Koresada’s house.
あきはぎの花さきにけり高砂のをのへのしかは今やなくらむ
aki Fagi no
Fana sakinikeri
takasago no
onoFe no sika Fa
ima ya nakuran |
The Autumn bush clover
Blooms are in flower:
At Takasago’s
Peak, are the deer
Calling even now? |
Fujiwara no Toshiyuki
Topic unknown.
秋はぎをしがらみふせてなくしかのめには見えずておとのさやけさ
akiFagi wo
sigaramiFusete
naku sika no
me ni Fa miezute
woto no sayakesa |
In Autumn bush clover
Entangled and trampling,
The bugling stag
Is out of sight;
How clear the sound, though. |
Anonymous.
Topic unknown.
秋はぎにうらびれをればあしひきの山したとよみしかのなくらむ
aki Fagi ni
urabireoreba
asiFiki no
yamasita toyomi
sika no nakuran |
Bush clover in Autumn
Sink him in sorrow, as,
Leg-wearying,
The mountain lowlands echo
With the bugling of a stag. |
Anonymous.
A poem from a poetry competition at Prince Koresada’s house.
おく山に紅葉ふみわけなく鹿のこゑきく時ぞ秋は悲しき
okuyama ni
momidi Fumiwake
naku sika no
kowe kiku toki zo
aki Fa kanasiki |
In the mountains’ heart
Forging through the autumn leaves,
A calling stag:
When I hear his voice I feel,
Autumn is sorrowful, indeed. |
Anonymous.
A poem from a poetry competition at Prince Koresada’s house.
山里は秋こそことにわびしけれしかのなくねにめをさましつつ
yamazato Fa
aki koso kotoni
wabisikere
sika no naku ne ni
me wo samesitutu | In a mountain village
The autumn, especially,
Is lonely.
The belling of the stags
Continually awakens me. |
Mibu no Tadamine
壬生忠岑
Composed on hearing the cries of the geese.
うき事を思ひつらねてかりがねのなきこそわたれ秋のよなよな
uki koto wo
omoFituranete
kari ga ne no
naki koso watare
aki no yonayona |
Downcast thoughts
Flow on and on, and
The goose calls
Crying, drifting across,
Autumn night after night. |
Ōshikōchi no Mitsune (Fl. 898-922)
凡河内躬恒
A poem from a poetry competition held by Her Majesty, the Empress, during the Kanpyō era.
秋風にこゑをほにあげてくる舟はあまのとわたるかりにぞありける
aki kaze ni
kowe wo Fo ni agete
kuru Funa Fa
ama no to wataru
kari ni zo arikeru | In the autumn wind,
Hark! Voices raised with the sails,
These boats approaching
Cross from a skybound shore:
The geese are here. |
Anonymous.
Topic unknown.
夜をさむみ衣かりがねなくなへに萩のしたばもうつろひにけり
yo wo samumi
koromo kari ga ne
naku nabe ni
Fagi no sitaba mo
uturoFinikeri | The night is cold, so
I’ll borrow a robe with goose cries
Sounding
The bush clover’s under-leaves
Have turned sere. |
This poem is said by some to be the work of Kakinomoto no Hitomaro.
Anonymous.
Topic unknown.
春霞かすみていにしかりがねは今ぞなくなる秋ぎりのうへに
Farugasumi
kasumite inisi
kari ga ne Fa
ima zo naku naru
akigiri no uFe ni |
Spring mist
Hazed the departing
Goose cries,
Now sounding
Through the autumn fog. |
Anonymous
Topic unknown.
いとはやもなきぬるかりか白露のいろどる木木ももみぢあへなくに
ito Faya mo
nakinuru kari ka
siratuyu no
irodoru kigi mo
momidiaFenakuni |
How very early
For the geese to call;
The white dew fall
Dropping colour on the trees-
Yet to take on Autumn hues. |
Anonymous
'Simply moving and elegant'