- Top
- -
- Manyoshu
Akikaze no samuku fuku nae waga yado no asaji ga moto ni korogi naku mo
As the autumn wind blows cold, crickets sing at the roots of the short grass by my home.
Kagekusa no oitaru yado no yūkage ni naku korogi wa kikedo akanu ka mo
The crickets singing in the evening light at my home, overgrown with shade grasses—however long I listen, I never tire.
Niwakusa ni murasame furite korogi no naku koe kikeba akizukinikeri
A passing shower falls on the garden grass, and when I hear the crickets singing, I know autumn has truly come.
Miyoshino no iwamoto sarazu naku kawazu ube mo nakikeri kawa o sayakemi
The kajika frogs of fair Yoshino sing without leaving the foot of the rocks—no wonder they sing, for the river is so clear.
Kamunabi no yamashita toyomi yuku mizu ni kawazu naku nari aki to iwamu to ya
In the waters that flow echoing at the foot of the sacred mountain, the kajika frogs are singing—do they mean to say that autumn has come?
Kusamakura tabi ni mono omoi waga kikeba yū katamakete naku kawazu ka mo
As I listen, lost in thought on my journey with grass for a pillow, the kajika frogs begin to sing as evening draws near.
Se o hayami ochitagichitaru shiranami ni kawazu naku nari asa yoi goto ni
In the white waves seething where the swift shoals tumble down, the kajika frogs sing, every morning and every evening.
Kamitsuse ni kawazu tsuma yobu yū sareba koromode samumi tsuma makamu to ka
In the upper shoals the kajika frogs call to their mates—now that evening comes and their sleeves are cold, do they mean to lie with their wives?
Imo ga te o toroshi no ike no nami no ma yu tori ga ne ke ni naku aki suginurashi
From between the waves of Toroshi Pond—its name recalling taking my beloved's hand—the birds cry out in a different voice. Autumn, it seems, has passed.
Aki no no no obana ga ure ni naku mozu no koe kikikemu ka katakike wagimo
Did you hear the shrike crying on the tips of the pampas grass in the autumn fields? Listen closely, my wife.
Akihagi ni okeru shiratsuyu asanasa na tama to shi zo miru okeru shiratsuyu
The white dew lying on the autumn bush clover—morning after morning I see it as jewels, the white dew lying there.
Yūdachi no ame furu goto ni kasugano no obana ga ue no shiratsuyu omōyu
Every time the evening shower falls, I think of the white dew on the pampas plumes of Kasuga Plain.
Akihagi no eda mo tōo ni tsuyujimo oki samuku mo toki wa narinikeru ka mo
Dew and frost have settled on the autumn bush clover till its branches bend—the season has grown cold.
Shiratsuyu to akihagi to ni wa koimidare waku koto kataki aga kokoro ka mo
Torn in love between the white dew and the autumn bush clover, my heart cannot tell which it loves more.
Waga yado no obana oshinabe oku tsuyu ni te fure wagimoko chiramaku mo mimu
Touch the dew weighing down the pampas plumes at my home, my darling—let us watch it scatter.
Shiratsuyu o toraba kenubeshi iza kodomo tsuyu ni kioite hagi no asobi semu
If we take the white dew in our hands, it will vanish. Come, everyone, let us vie with the dew and make merry among the bush clover!