Composed on early snow for a palace poetry contest held in Eishō 4 [1049].
みやこにもはつゆきふればをの山のまきのすみがまたきまさるらん
miyako ni mo
Fatuyuki Fureba
wonoyama no
maki no sumigama
takimasaruran | In the capital, too
When the first snow falls
Among Onoyama’s
Evergreens the charcoal kilns
Seem to smoulder more and more. |
Sagami
On the conception of lingering cold.
さえかへり山風あるるときは木にふりもたまらぬ春の淡雪
saekaeri
yamakaze aruru
tokiwagi ni
furi mo tamaranu
haru no awayuki | Chill returns, and
The mountain winds rage,
Upon the evergreens
Falls but fails to linger,
The frothy snow of spring. |
Former Major Counsellor Tame’uji
On the cold wind.
木がらしのおとはすぎにし時なれどときはにつねに松にふく風
kogarashi no
oto wa suginishi
toki naredo
tokiwa ni tsune ni
matsu ni fuku kaze | The biting wind’s
Howl has passed
And yet,
The evergreens always
Pine for the gusting breeze. |
Anonymous
'Simply moving and elegant'