Yōzei’in miko futari uta’awase 01

The two princes of former Emperor Yōzei held a poetry match, occupying the Left and Right on the topics of ‘love on waking’ and ‘love after a dawn parting’.

Love on Waking

Left

ねてよりもさめてののちのわびしきはつらきうつつにまどふなりけり

nete yori mo
samete no nochi no
wabishiki wa
tsuraki utsutsu ni
madou narikeri
More than sleeping
After waking is
Sad and lonely—
Cruel reality
Leaves me lost.

1

Right

くやくやとまちてねざめにおきたればつきよりほかにいるひとぞなき

kuyakuya to
machite nezame ni
okitareba
tsuki yori hoka ni
iru hito zo naki
Such painful thoughts
Await me on waking
When I arise
Other than the moon
There is no one here at all.

2

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