A poem from the Poetry Contest held by the Empress Dowager during the reign of the Kanpyō Emperor.
秋のよのあまてる月の光にはおく白露を玉とこそ見れ
| aki no yo no ama teru tsuki no hikari ni wa oku shiratsuyu o tama to koso mire | On an autumn night The heaven-shining moon’s Light upon The fallen silver dewdrops Truly, makes them seem as jewels. |
Anonymous
Autumn
Left
秋の夜の有明にみれど久堅の月のかつらはうつろはぬかな
| aki no yo no ariake ni miredo hisakata no tsuki no katsura wa utsurouwanu kana | An autumn night’s Dawn I see, yet The eternal Moon’s silver trees Show no sign of fading! |
13
秋萩の花咲く比の白露は下ばのためとわきて置くべし
| aki hagi no hana saku koro no shiratsuyu wa shitaba no tame to wakite okubeshi | In autumn, the bush clover Flowers bloom—just then Silver dewdrops For the under-leaves Do fall, marking every one. |
14
秋風はいなばもそよとふきつめりかりみる程と成りやしぬらん
| akikaze wa inaba mo soyo to fukitsumeri kari miru hodo to nari ya shinuran | The autumn breeze Seems to rustle the rice stalks As it blows; Seeing if ‘tis time to reap them— Is that what it is, I wonder? |
15
Right
銀河とわたる舟は花薄ほにいづるほどぞかげもみゆべき
| ama no kawa towataru fune wa hanasusuki ho ni izuru hodo zo kage mo miyubeki | Across the River of Heaven A boat goes ferrying: When the silver grass Ears burst into bloom, Can its shape be seen. |
16
女郎花さがの花をば色ながら秋をさかりといはれずもがな
| ominaeshi saga no hana oba iro nagara aki o sakari to iwarezu mogana | Maidenflowers: Blossoms from Saga Reveal their hues, and In autumn are most fine—that Goes without saying! |
17
小男鹿の朝たつ霧にうりふ山嶺の梢は色こかりけり
| saoshika no asa tatsu kiri ni urifuyama mine no kozue wa iro kokarikeri | Stags Within the rising morning mist on Urifu Moutain, where The treetops on the peak Have taken darker hues. |
18
しら露のおきしくのべを見るごとにあはれは秋ぞかずまさりける
| shiratsuyu no okishiku nobe o miru goto ni aware wa aki zo kazu masarikeru | Silver dewdrops, Fallen, scattered upon the meadows: Every time I see them The sadnesses of autumn Increase in number. |
31
あきかぜのうちふくからにはなもはもみだれてもちるのべの草きか
| aki kaze no uchifuku kara ni hana mo ha mo midarete mo chiru nobe no kusaki ka | The autumn breeze Is blowing keenly, so will Both flowers and leaves Scatter confusedly From the trees and grasses on the meadow? |
32
Scarlet leaves dyed with dew (露染紅葉)
Left
白露のそむる紅葉のいかなればから紅にふかくみゆらん
| shiratsuyu no somuru momiji no ikanareba karakurenai ni fukaku miyuran | When silver dewdrops Stain the autumn leaves What happens, but Their scarlet hues Seem all the deeper. |
A Court Lady
23
Right
いかにおくしら露なれば紅葉ばのくれなゐふかく色をそむらん
| ika ni oku shiratsuyu nareba momijiba no kurenai fukaku iro o somuran | How can they fall— These silver dewdrops—so The autumn leaves with Ever deeper scarlet Hues are dyed? |
A Court Lady
24
When he drew the topic of dew, when people were composing poetry on randomly selected topics at the residence of the Minister of the Left.
我ならぬ草葉もものは思ひけり袖より外におけるしらつゆ
| aFare naranu kusaba mo mono Fa omoFikeri sode yori Foka ni okeru siratuyu |
Not only I, but All the grassy leaves Are sunk in gloomy thought For in places other than my sleeves Fall silver dewdrops. |
Fujiwara no Tadakuni
藤原忠国
At a time when she was living with relatives, and the bush-clover was blooming particularly beautifully, the master of the house was somewhere else and not communicating, so she sent this to him.
白露も心おきてや思ふらむぬしもたづねぬやどの秋はぎ
| siratuyu mo kokoro okite ya omoFuramu nusi mo tasunenu yado no aki Fagi |
Silver dewdrops Also fall on their hearts I feel; As the master pays no call On his dwelling’s autumn bush-clover. |
Chikuzen Wet Nurse
筑前乳母