Written on the rocks by the waterfall at Provisional Middle Councillor Atsutada’s mountain retreat at Nishi-sakamoto.
音羽川せき入れて落す瀧つせに人の心のみえもするかな
otoFagaFa
seki’irete otosu
taki tu se ni
Fito no kokoro no
mie mo suru kana |
On Otowa River
A barrier is placed to drop
A cataract in torrents
And, your heart, perhaps,
Reveal! |
Ise
伊勢
On Rivers.
夕さらずかはづ鳴くなる三輪川の清き瀬の音を聞かくしよしも
yū sarazu
kawazu nakunaru
miwagawa no
kiyoki se no oto o
kikakushi yoshi mo |
Evening comes, and
The frogs do cry;
The River Miwa’s
Crystal currents’ sound
Is a pleasure, indeed! |
Anonymous
On frogs.
上つ瀬にかはづ妻呼ぶ夕されば衣手寒み妻まかむとか
kami tu se ni
kapadu tuma yobu
yupusareba
koromode samumi
tuma makamu to ka |
In the rapids upstream
A frog cries for a mate,
When the evening comes,
How chill the sleeves –
Maybe he would be with her swiftly! |
Anonymous
On frogs.
背を早み落ちたぎちたる白波にかはづ鳴くなり朝夕ごとに
se wo payami
otitagititaru
siranami ni
kapadu nakunari
asayupu goto ni |
The current flows so swift
There are eddies making
Whitecaps where
The frogs do call,
Morning and evening both… |
Anonymous
Frogs (蛙)
谷川のあさき瀬ごとにみがくれてつまよぶかはづ声きこゆなり
tanikawa no
asaki se goto ni
migakurete
tsuma yobu kawazu
koe kikoyunari |
In the valleys’ streams’
Every shallow rapid
Concealing themselves, and
Calling for a mate, the frogs’
Cries I hear! |
Tadafusa
吾妹子はさかよふ山の背はちかばあはじと人にかねてきかする
wagimoko wa
sakayou yama no
se wa chikaba
awaji to hito ni
kanete kikasuru |
My darling,
If I cross the mountains
And to the foot draw near,
“I will not meet you,” to him
I would long hear you say… |
Minamoto no Yorimasa
源頼政
'Simply moving and elegant'