Through these trees,
the moonlight filters softly down—
seeing its glow,
the autumn that stirs the heart
has come upon us at last.

Meaning

As I look at the moonlight filtering through the trees, I feel that autumn—the season that stirs the heart with many thoughts—has come.

Commentary

Book Four Autumn Poems (Part One)

Seeing the moonlight, the poet senses the arrival of autumn, and the image conveys a figure who quietly sinks into reflection as the season deepens.

“Kokoro-zukushi” can mean “to give full attention to another,” but in classical usage it often carries the sense of being troubled by many thoughts. The evocative phrase “an autumn that stirs the heart” is also found in The Tale of Genji.

Author

Unknown Poet

Source

Kokin Wakashu

Other

Now it must be so— as we part from one another, at Heaven’s River, before I even cross it, my sleeves are already wet.
From this day on, the yesterday of the year to come— must it be that I long only for that time, and wait for it unceasing?
As autumn comes on through all the world around me— then it is that I come to know within myself how sorrowful I truly am.
Not for me alone does the coming autumn arrive— yet when I hear the voices of the insects, at once my heart grows sad.

Through these trees, the moonlight filters softly down— seeing its glow, the autumn that stirs the heart has come upon us at last.

Through these trees,
the moonlight filters softly down—
seeing its glow,
the autumn that stirs the heart
has come upon us at last.