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- Manyoshu
Tokoshie ni natsu fuyu yuke ya kawagoromo ōgi hanatanu yama ni sumu hito
Do summer and winter pass together there for all eternity? The one who dwells on the mountain wears a fur robe, yet never lets go of a fan.
Manyoshu - Kakinomoto no Hitomaro
Imo ga te o torite hiki yoji fusa taori waga kazasu beku hana sakeru kamo
Taking the branch as I would my darling's hand, I pull it down and break off armfuls. The blossoms are open, just right for wearing in my hair.
Manyoshu - Kakinomoto no Hitomaro
Haruyama wa chirisuginu tomo miwayama wa imada fufumeri kimi machikate ni
Though the blossoms on the other spring hills have fallen, those on Mount Miwa are still in bud, unable to open as they wait for you to come.
Manyoshu - Kakinomoto no Hitomaro
Kawa no se no tagitsu o mireba tamamo kamo chiri midaretaru kawa no tsune kamo
Watching the rapids seethe and churn, I wonder: is this lovely weed scattered in disarray, or simply the river's everyday face?
Manyoshu - Hashihito no Sukune
Hikoboshi no kazashi no tama no tsumagoi ni midare ni kerashi kono kawa no se ni
It seems the jewels in the Herdsman Star's hair have come loose and scattered in his longing for his wife—here, in the shallows of this river.
Manyoshu - Hashihito no Sukune
Shiratori no sagisakayama no matsukage ni yadorite yukana yo mo fukeyuku o
Let us stop for the night in the shade of the pines on Mount Sagisaka, for the night is growing late.
Manyoshu - Kakinomoto no Hitomaro
Aburi hosu hito mo are ya mo nureginu o ie ni wa yarana tabi no shirushi ni
Is there anyone here to dry it over a fire? No one at all. I will send this soaked robe home as proof of my journey.
Manyoshu - Kakinomoto no Hitomaro
Ariso e ni tsukite kogasa ne karahito no hama o sugureba kōshiku ari nari
Please row close along the rocky shore. Once we pass the beach of Karahito, I think I will miss it terribly.
Manyoshu - Kakinomoto no Hitomaro
Takashima no adokawanami wa sawakedomo ware wa ie omou yadori kanashimi
The waves of the Ado River at Takashima roar and clamor, yet all I think of is home, for my lodging on the road is so sad.
Manyoshu - Kakinomoto no Hitomaro
Tabi nareba yonaka o sashite teru tsuki no takashimayama ni kakuraku oshi mo
Because I am traveling, how I regret to see the moon that shines on toward midnight sink out of sight behind Mount Takashima.
Manyoshu - Kakinomoto no Hitomaro
Aga kouru imo wa awasazu tama no ura ni koromo katashiki hitori kamo nemu
My beloved will not meet me. Here at Tama Bay, must I spread out only one sleeve of my robe and sleep alone?
Manyoshu - Kakinomoto no Hitomaro
Tamakushige akemaku oshiki atarayo o koromode karete hitori kamo nemu
On this precious night whose dawning I would hate to see, must I sleep alone, far from my beloved's sleeves?
Manyoshu - Kakinomoto no Hitomaro
Takuhire no sagisakayama no shiratsutsuji ware ni niowa ni imo ni shimesamu
White azaleas of Mount Sagisaka, let your color rub off on me, so that I can show it to my wife.
Manyoshu - Kakinomoto no Hitomaro
Imo ga kado iri izumigawa no tokoname ni miyuki nokoreri imada fuyu kamo
On the smooth, slippery rocks of the Izumi riverbed the snow still lingers. Could it still be winter?
Manyoshu - Kakinomoto no Hitomaro
Koromode no naki no kawabe o harusame ni ware tachinuru to ie omouramu ka
Here on the banks of the Naki River I stand soaked by the spring rain. Do the people at home think of me like this?
Manyoshu - Kakinomoto no Hitomaro
Iebito no tsukai ni arashi harusame no yokuredo ware o nurasaku omoeba
This spring rain must be a messenger from my family, for however I try to avoid it, it keeps soaking me.
Manyoshu - Kakinomoto no Hitomaro