A man whom she was seeing in secret, came to see her on a night when it was raining, and said he had to return home on account of being wet; so, she composed the following.
かばかりに忍ぶる雨を人とはゞ何にぬれたる袖といふらむ
| kabakari ni sinoburu ame wo Fito toFaba nani ni nuretaru sode to iFuramu |
So many Secrets in this rain; If folk should ask What has wet My sleeves, what should I say? |
Izumi Shikibu
和泉式部
To someone who had said, on a day when the rain was pouring down, that the rain was the tears on his sleeves.
見し人に忘られて降る袖にこそ身を志る雨はいつもをやまね
| misi Fito ni wasurarete Furu sode ni koso mi wo siru ame Fa itumo wo yamane |
A man saw me Then forgotten did I spend my days Upon my sleeves The rain-knowing well my fate- Never ceases falling. |
Izumi Shikibu
和泉式部
Narihira heard that Fujiwara no Toshiyuki had become close to a lady at his house, and had sent her a letter saying that he was coming directly, but that the falling rain might cause him some trouble; Narihira composed this on her behalf.
数数に思ひ思はず問ひがたみ身を知る雨は降りぞまされる
| kazukazu ni omoFi omoFazu toFigatami mi wo siru ame Fa Furi zo masareru |
Politely, Do you love me or love me not, Is very hard to ask; The rain knows how I feel full well And falls all the harder. |
Ariwara no Narihira
有原業平
Composed and sent to a woman at Lord Narihira’s house.
つれづれのながめにまさるなみだ河袖のみぬれてあふよしもなし
| turedure no nagame ni masaru namidagaFa sode nomi nurete aFu yosi mo nasi |
Ceaselessly Falling the rains have swollen Into a river of tears. Yet only my sleeves are drenched, With no way to meet you. |
Fujiwara no Toshiyuki
Composed during a gentle rain and sent to a woman he had been secretly seeing since the first day of the Third Month.
おきもせずねもせで夜をあかしては春の物とてながめくらしつ
| oki mo sezu ne mo sede yoru wo akasite Fa Faru no mono tote nagame kurasitu |
Not awake and yet Not sleepless through the night, and With the dawn Comes a scene from Spring: Ever-falling rain to gaze upon all day. |
Ariwara no Narihira (825-880)
有原業平