しらやまにふりてつもれる雪なれば下こそきゆれうへはつれなし
shirayama ni furite tsumoreru yuki nareba shita koso kiyure ue wa tsurenashi On Mount Shirayma, so white, Fallen and drifted is The snow: Beneath it vanishes away, while Atop ‘tis cruelly chill.
469
Blossoming Cherry
はなざくらちる山川は春もなほともまちがほの雪かとぞみる
hanazakura chiru yamakawa wa haru mo nao tomomachigao no yuki ka to zo miru Blossoming cherry Scatters ‘pon the mountain stream—as Spring yet Eagerly awaited friendly Snow, does it appear, perhaps?
3
かづらきや雲をこだかみ雪しろしあはれとぞ思ふ年の暮れぬる
kazuragi ya kumo o kodakami yuki shiroshi aware to zo omou toshi no kurenuru In Kazuragi, In clouds upon the trees, so tall, White is the snow— How sad it is, I feel, As the year draws to its end.
402
しら雪のふるの山なる杉村のすぐる程なきとしのくれかな
shirayuki no furu no yama naru sugimura no suguru hodo naki toshi no kure kana Snow so white Falls on Furu Mountain’s Cypress groves— In no time at all is past The ending of the year!
401
Composed on the conception of the rite of the recitation of the Buddhas’ names.
身につもるつみやいかなるつみならむけふふる雪とともにけななん
mi ni tsumoru tsumi ya ikanaru tsumi naramu kyō furu yuki to tomo ni kenanan Piling up upon me are My sins, whatever Sins they are; Today with the falling snow I would they vanish away!
392
すみがまのけぶりもさびし大原やふりにし里の雪の夕ぐれ
sumigama no keburi mo sabishi ōhara ya furinishi sato no yuki no yūgure Even the charcoal kiln’s Smoke is sad and lonely At Ōhara In an ancient estate On a snowy evening.
391
Charcoal kilns
雪ふりてけふともしらぬおく山にすみやくおきなあはれはかなみ
yuki furite kyō to mo shiranu okuyama ni sumi yaku okina aware hakanami As the snow falls Today in the unknown Mountains’ depths, Burning charcoal, an old man Feels sadness at the emptiness of all…
390
My reply:
ぬししれと引きける駒の雪を分けばかしこき跡にかへれとぞ思ふ
nushi shire to hikikeru koma no yuki o wakeba kashikoki ato ni kaere to zo omou ‘Know your master!’ Following such a mount Forged through the snow did you, then In his fine footsteps Returned home, I feel!
387
I wrote this myself and sent it with Naitō Tomochika, Secretary of the Bureau of Horses, having selected him as a trustworthy individual.
On a snowy day in the Second Month of Kenryaku 2 [March 1212], Senior Assistant Minister of Public Affairs Yukimitsu came to call at my house, saying he wanted to take a look at the scenery from a mountain retreat; many others were there, including Yukimura, Secretary of Yamajiro and we enjoyed ourselves late into the night with music and poetry. When it was time for him to return, I gifted Yukimitsu with a black horse and when I saw him the following day, I found a piece of paper tied to the horse’s mane, which read
この雪を分けて心の君にあればぬししる駒のためしをぞひく
kono yuki o wakete kokoro no kimi ni areba nushi shiru koma no tameshi o zo hiku Through this snow To forge, the heart Had one, then A mount who knows his master well Is an example to follow!
386
A poem composed and sent on a snowy day to someone who was unable to leave his house on account of an injured leg.
ふる雪をいかにあはれとながむらん心はおもふとも足たたずして
furu yuki o ika ni aware to nagamuran kokoro wa omou tomo ashi tatazushite At the falling snow How sadly You must be gazing! Your heart is at my service, but Your leg pays no heed!
385
Posts navigation
'Simply moving and elegant'