秋の夜は露こそことに寒からし
草むらごとに虫のわぶれば
草むらごとに虫のわぶれば
- Roma-ji
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Aki no yo wa tsuyu koso koto ni samukarashi
kusamura goto ni mushi no wabureba - English Translation
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On autumn nights,
the dew above all seems cold—
for in every clump
of grass the insects lament,
their voices filled with distress.
- Meaning
- On autumn nights, the dew seems especially cold; hearing the insects lamenting in every clump of grass, it feels so.
- Commentary
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Book Four Autumn Poems (Part One)
Though dew also falls on summer nights, the opening phrase “on autumn nights” evokes a different, colder feeling. The line “in every clump of grass” vividly portrays a night where insects are crying from many places.
“Wabu” means to lament or to cry in distress. The poet seems to understand the insects’ cries as arising from the cold.
- Author
- Unknown Poet
- Source
- Kokin Wakashu
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Akihagi mo irozukinureba kirigirisu
waga nenu goto ya yoru wa kanashiki - Next Poem
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Kimi shinobu kusa ni yatsururu furusato wa
matsumushi no ne zo kanashikarikeru