classic waka stream

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  • Kokin Wakashu

Kamigaki no mimuro no yama no sakakiba wa kami no mimae ni shigeriai ni keri

On the god's own mountain of Mimuro, the sakaki leaves have grown dense and intertwined before the divine presence.

Kokin Wakashu

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Shimo yatabi okedo karesenu sakakiba no tachisakayu beki kami no kine kamo

Like the sakaki leaves that frost after frost cannot wither, the one who serves the gods is surely bound to flourish ever more.

Kokin Wakashu

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Makimoku no anashi no yama no yamabito to hito mo miru gani yamakazura seyo

Wreathe your hair with mountain vine, so that people will take you for a mountain man of Anashi in Makimuku.

Kokin Wakashu

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Miyama ni wa arare furu rashi toyama naru masaki no kazura irozuki ni keri

Hail must already be falling in the deep mountains, for on the near hills the masaki vine has turned color.

Kokin Wakashu

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Michinoku no adachi no mayumi waga hikaba sue sae yori ko shinobi shinobi ni

If I draw the fine bow of Adachi in Michinoku, bend to me as its tip bends, and stay close for all the time to come, quietly, where no one sees.

Kokin Wakashu

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Waga kado no itai no shimizu sato tōmi hito shi kumaneba mikusa oi ni keri

The clear water of the board-lined well at my gate lies far from the village; no one comes to draw it, and water weeds have overgrown it.

Kokin Wakashu

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Sasa no kuma hinokuma gawa ni koma tomete shibashi mizu kae kage o dani mimu

Stop your horse at the Hinokuma River and let it drink a while; let me at least gaze on your figure.

Kokin Wakashu

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Aoyagi o kataito ni yorite uguisu no nuu chō kasa wa ume no hanagasa

Twisting the green willow into thread, the bush warbler sews a hat, they say, and the hat is made of plum blossoms.

Kokin Wakashu

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Magane fuku kibi no nakayama obi ni seru hosotani gawa no oto no sayakesa

How pure the murmur of the Hosotani River, which Kibi's Nakayama wears like a sash about its waist.

Kokin Wakashu

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Mimasaka ya kume no sarayama sarasara ni waga na wa tateji yorozuyo made ni

Like the name of Sarayama in Kume of Mimasaka, never, never will I let my name be sullied, not in ten thousand ages.

Kokin Wakashu

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Mino no kuni seki no fujikawa taezu shite kimi ni tsukaemu yorozuyo made ni

As the Fujikawa by the Barrier in Mino never stops flowing, so without ceasing I will serve my lord through ten thousand ages.

Kokin Wakashu

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Kimi ga yo wa kagiri mo araji nagahama no masago no kazu wa yomitsukusu tomo

Your reign, my lord, will have no end, even if every grain of sand on Nagahama beach were counted out.

Kokin Wakashu

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Ōmi no ya kagami no yama o tatetareba kanete zo miyuru kimi ga chitose wa

Because Mount Kagami, the mirror of Ōmi, stands raised there, your reign of a thousand years can already be seen reflected in it.

Kokin Wakashu - Ōtomo no Kuronushi

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Abukuma ni kiri tachikumori akenu tomo kimi o ba yaraji mateba sube nashi

Though mist rises over the Abukuma and the dawn breaks, I will not let you go, for waiting for you again is more than I can bear.

Kokin Wakashu

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Michinoku wa izuku wa aredo shiogama no ura kogu fune no tsunade kanashi mo

Michinoku has fine places everywhere, but the boats rowing across Shiogama Bay, drawn on their tow-ropes, touch my heart most of all.

Kokin Wakashu

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Waga seko o miyako ni yarite shiogama no magaki no shima no matsu zo koishiki

I have sent my husband away to the capital, and like the pines of Magaki Island at Shiogama, I wait, and oh, how I long for him.

Kokin Wakashu

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