夏の日の俄かに曇る夕立の思ひもかけぬ世にもあるかな
natu no Fi no
niFka ni kumoru
yuFudati no
omoFi mo kakenu
yo ni mo aru kana |
A summer day
Briefly clouded by
An evening shower:
How unexpected
Is this world! |
A poem by the Governor-General of Dazai, Lord Ōtomo.
橘の花散る里の霍公鳥片恋しつつ鳴く日しぞ多き
tatibana no
pana tiru sato no
pototogisu
kata kopisitutu
naku pi si zo opoki |
Orange
Blossom scatters round my estate where
The cuckoo
For unrequited love
Does cry on many a day… |
Ōtomo no Tabito
Two poems composed on birds.
霍公鳥今来鳴きそむあやめぐさかづらくまでに離るる日あらめや
pototogisu
ima kinakisomu
ayamegusa
kaduraku made ni
karuru pi arame ya |
The cuckoo
Has now begun to sing;
Until sweet-flags
Garland all
Will there be any days he flies away? |
Ōtomo no Yakamochi
別れにし手束の弓の白鳥を紀の川ゆすり恋ひぬ日ぞなき
wakarenishi
tatsuka no yumi no
shiratori o
ki no kawa yuzuri
koinu hi zo naki |
We did part, and
Bow in hand,
Like a swan
Swaying on the River Ki
There’s not a day that I don’t love you… |
Minamoto no Shunrai
源俊頼
しげさのみ日ごとにまさる夏草の仮初にだに問ふ人のなき
sigesa nomi
Fi goto ni masaru
natu kusa no
karisome ni dani
toFu Fito no naki |
Simply more lush
With every day are
The summer grasses
Even if briefly
No one comes to call… |
'Simply moving and elegant'