Not yet satisfied,
Yet already does the moon
Hide itself away—
Would that the mountain’s far edge
Might flee and not let it in.
- Meaning
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Though we are not yet satisfied, the moon is already hiding away. I wish the mountain ridge would move aside and not let the moon slip behind it.
- Commentary
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82. The Heart in Spring
Long ago there was a prince called Prince Koretaka. Beyond Yamazaki there was a detached palace at a place called Minase, and every year when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom he would visit that palace. At such times he would always bring with him the man who was then the head of the Right Horse Bureau.
They did not devote themselves much to falconry but spent their time drinking wine and delighting in composing poems. At a residence by the Yodo River at Katano they sat beneath a splendid cherry tree, and people of many different ranks among the attendants composed poems.
After leaving those cherry blossoms and returning toward the Minase palace, night fell. One of the attendants had a servant bring wine from Katano. In search of a suitable place to enjoy the wine, they came to a place called Amanogawa, where they drank wine and composed poems in enjoyment before returning to the Minase palace.
Even after returning they continued drinking and talking late into the night, and the prince, now drunk, went into his sleeping chamber. By then the moon had passed midnight and was leaning westward, about to hide behind the mountain ridge.
The poem was composed by the head of the Right Horse Bureau when he saw the moon in such a state.
The poem plays upon both the moon hiding behind the mountains and the prince entering his sleeping chamber. It expresses a quiet wish that the prince might remain a little longer at the drinking gathering.
- Source
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Ise Monogatari
- Other
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