Left
夏の月ひかりをしまず照る時はながるる水にかげろふぞたつ
natsu no tsuki
hikari o shimazu
teru toki wa
nagaruru mizu ni
kagerō zo tatsu | When summer moon’s
Light lightly
Shines
From the running waters
Haze arises! |
74
Right
琴の音にひびきかよへる松風はしらべても鳴く蝉の声かな
koto no ne ni
hibikikayoeru
matsukaze wa
shirabetemo naku
semi no koe kana | A zither’s strains
Echoing back and forth:
The wind through the pines,
In tune with the cries
In the cicadas’ song! |
75[1]
[1] Shinshūishū III: 303/Shinsen man’yōshū 73/Kokin rokujō I: 398/Fubokushō IX: 3584
A poem from the Poetry Contest held by the Dowager Empress during the Reign of the Kanpyō Emperor.
琴の音にひびきかよへる松風をしらべてもなく蝉のこゑかな
koto no ne ni
hibikikayoeru
matsukaze wa
shirabetemo naku
semi no koe kana | A zither’s strains
Echoing back and forth:
The wind through the pines,
In tune with the cries
In the cicadas’ song! |
Anonymous
山ざとは秋こそものはかなしけれねざめねざめにしかはなきつつ
yamazato wa
aki koso mono wa
kanashikere
nezame nezame ni
shika wa nakitsutsu | A mountain retreat in
Autumn is much more
Sad;
Waking, ever waking
To the stags constant cries… |
29
ことのねをかぜのしらべにまかせてはたつたひめこそあきはひくらし
koto no ne o
kaze no shirabe ni
makasete wa
tatsustahime koso
aki wa hikurashi | A zither’s strains
By the wind tuned
Up—
Princess Tatsuta
Is plucking out the notes of autumn, it seems. |
30
朝ごとに山にたちまふ朝霧は紅葉みせじとをしむなりけり
asagoto ni
yama ni tachimau
asagiri wa
momiji miseji to
oshimu narikeri | With every morning
Twining round the mountains
The morning mists – that
They cannot reveal the scarlet leaves
Is regrettable, indeed! |
7
秋の夜は人をしづめてつれづれと掻きなす琴の音にぞたてつる
aki no yo wa
hito o shizumete
tsurezure to
kakinasu koto no
ne ni zo tatetsuru | On an autumn night
When folk are all abed,
Idly
Plucked a zither’s
Strains sound out. |
8
Zithers 筝
まつかぜの吹くにかよひてことの音は秋のしらべの身にもしむかな
matsukaze no
fuku ni kayoite
koto no ne wa
aki no shirabe no
mi ni mo shimu kana | The wind through pine trees
Blowing blending with
A zither’s notes—
The melodies of autumn
Do pierce my soul! |
Daishin
Zithers 筝
くり返しむかしのことをひきかけてしらぶるからにねこそながるれ
kurikaeshi
mukashi no koto o
hikikakete
shiraburu kara ni
ne koso nagarure | Time and time again
An ancient zither
Is played, and
When tuned, its
Notes flow all the better! |
Higo
Zithers 筝
さ夜ふけて物の音たかくなりぬらししらぶることはことぢあぐなり
sayo fukete
mono no ne takaku
narinurashi
shiraburu koto wa
kotoji agu nari | Brief night breaks, and
The notes do louder
Seem to grow;
Tuned, a zither
Is lifted by its bridge. |
Kanemasa
Zithers 筝
玉の緒はたえしもせぬをひく人もなきことをのみもたるみぞうき
tama no o wa
tae shimo senu o
hiku hito mo
naki koto o nomi
motaru mi zo uki | My jewelled thread of life,
Stretches on, unending, with
No one to pluck it,
Simply, a having a zither
Makes me desolate, indeed! |
Tadafusa
Zithers 筝
ことのねのことぢにむせぶ夕ぐれはけもいよだちぬそぞろさむさに
koto no ne no
kotoji ni musebu
yūgure wa
ke mo iyodachinu
sozoro samosa ni | A zither’s notes
Span a tearful
Evening, as
My hair stands on end
With the sudden chill. |
Toshiyori
Zithers 筝
空の色によそへることのことぢをばつらなるかりとおもひけるかな
sora no iro ni
yosoeru koto no
kotoji o ba
tsuranaru kari to
omoikeru kana | The heavens’ hues
I recall—my zither’s
Bridges
Aligned like geese
Do seem to be! |
Nakazane
'Simply moving and elegant'