It must be midnight—
the night has grown deep, it seems;
as the wild geese cry,
across that sounding autumn sky
the moon is seen to pass along.

Meaning

It must be midnight, for the night has deepened; in the sky where the cries of wild geese are heard, the moon can be seen moving across.

Commentary

Book Four Autumn Poems (Part One)

The poem depicts the moon floating in the autumn night sky. Nearby, the cries of wild geese are heard, and when one looks far into the sky, the moon is seen inclining, giving a sense of the vastness of space.

The same poem appears in the Man’yōshū (Book 9, poem 1701) and is attributed there to Kakinomoto no Hitomaro, though in the Kokinshū the author is not named, suggesting it may have been included by mistake.

Author

Unknown Poet

Source

Kokin Wakashu

Other

On such a night that I would cherish so deeply— to pass it in vain, sleeping it through till morning— even such people seem distasteful.
White clouds drift on— with beating wings they cross and fly, the passing wild geese; even their number is seen in the moon of an autumn night.
When I see the moon, my thoughts scatter into grief— in countless ways; though this autumn is not mine alone, it feels so to my heart.
In the moon above, the cassia tree there too, perhaps, in autumn still turns to crimson leaves—so that its light shines all the more bright.

It must be midnight— the night has grown deep, it seems; as the wild geese cry, across that sounding autumn sky the moon is seen to pass along.

It must be midnight—
the night has grown deep, it seems;
as the wild geese cry,
across that sounding autumn sky
the moon is seen to pass along.