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- Kokin Wakashu
Michi shiraba tazune mo yukamu momijiba o
nusa to tamukete aki wa inikeri
Had I known the way, I would have gone to seek it—yet autumn has already departed, scattering maple leaves as offerings.
Kokin Wakashu - Oshikochi no Mitsune
Tatsutagawa nishiki orikaku kannazuki
shigure no ame o tatenuki ni shite
The Tatsuta River weaves and spreads brocade, using the passing rains of the Tenth Month as warp and weft.
Kokin Wakashu - Unknown Poet
Yamazato wa fuyu zo sabishisa masarikeru
hitome mo kusa mo karenu to omoeba
In a mountain village, winter deepens the loneliness—for when I think on it, no one comes, and even the grasses wither away.
Kokin Wakashu - Minamoto no Muneyuki
Ōzora no tsuki no hikari shi kiyokereba
kage mishi mizu zo mazu kōrikeru
Because the moonlight in the vast sky shines so purely, the water that held its reflection was the first to freeze.
Kokin Wakashu - Unknown Poet
Yū sareba koromode samushi Miyoshino no
Yoshino no yama ni miyuki fururashi
As evening falls, even my sleeves grow cold—surely on Mount Yoshino the snow must now be falling.
Kokin Wakashu - Unknown Poet
Ima yori wa tsugite furanamu waga yado no
susuki oshinami fureru shirayuki
From now on, may it continue to fall—the white snow that, in my yard, presses down the silver grass.
Kokin Wakashu - Unknown Poet
Furu yuki wa katsu zo kenurashi ashibiki no
yama no tagitsuse oto masaru nari
The falling snow must be melting as it falls—for the sound of the mountain torrent grows ever louder.
Kokin Wakashu - Unknown Poet
Kono kawa ni momijiba nagaru okuyama no
yukige no mizu zo ima masarurashi
Even in this river crimson leaves are flowing—the waters from melting snow in the deep mountains must now have grown stronger.
Kokin Wakashu - Unknown Poet
Furusato wa Yoshino no yama shi chikakereba
hitohi mo miyuki furanu hi wa nashi
My old dwelling lies near Mount Yoshino—there is not a single day without the falling of snow.
Kokin Wakashu - Unknown Poet
Waga yado wa yuki furishikite michi mo nashi
fumiwakete tou hito shi nakereba
At my dwelling, snow falls thick and deep, and no path remains—for there is no one who comes, treading a way to visit me.
Kokin Wakashu - Unknown Poet
Yuki fureba fuyugomori seru kusa mo ki mo
haru ni shirarenu hana zo sakikeru
When snow falls, even the grasses lying hidden through winter seem to bloom with flowers unseen in spring.
Kokin Wakashu - Ki no Tsurayuki
Shirayuki no tokoro mo wakazu furishikeba
iwao ni mo saku hana to koso mire
White snow falls, covering all without distinction—even upon the rocky crags, it appears as though flowers are blooming.
Kokin Wakashu - Ki no Akimine
Miyoshino no yama no shirayuki tsumorurashi
furusato samuku narimasarikeri
On Mount Yoshino the snow must be piling up—for even here in the old capital the cold has grown ever more severe.
Kokin Wakashu - Sakanoue no Koreyuki
Ura chikaku furikuru yuki wa shiranami no
Sue no Matsuyama kosu ka to zo miru
Near the shore, the falling snow seems as though white waves might rise and cross over Sue no Matsuyama.
Kokin Wakashu - Fujiwara no Okikaze
Miyoshino no yama no shirayuki fumiwakete
irinishi hito no otozure mo senu
On Mount Yoshino, one who made his way through the deep snow has gone in—and from him no message has come.
Kokin Wakashu - Mibu no Tadamine
Shirayuki no furite tsumoreru yamazato wa
sumu hito sae ya omoi kiyuramu
In mountain villages where white snow has fallen deep, even those who dwell there may feel their very thoughts fade away like the snow.
Kokin Wakashu - Mibu no Tadamine