On autumn nights,
the dew above all seems cold—
for in every clump
of grass the insects lament,
their voices filled with distress.
- Meaning
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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
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Unknown Poet
- Source
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Kokin Wakashu
- Other
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All through autumn nights,
not knowing when dawn has come,
the insects keep crying—
are they, like myself, as well,
filled with such sorrowful thoughts?
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As bush clover fades
and takes on autumn colors—
the cricket’s cry;
like me, who cannot find sleep,
are its nights filled with sorrow?
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In the ruined home
overgrown with grasses of longing—
thinking of you,
the pine-cricket’s lonely cry
sounds all the more sorrowful.
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In autumn fields,
I have lost my way among paths—
toward the cricket’s cry,
perhaps I should make my way
and seek a place to lodge the night.