ひぐらしの鳴きつるなべに日はくれぬ
と思ふは山の影にぞありける
と思ふは山の影にぞありける
- Roma-ji
-
Higurashi no nakitsuru nabe ni hi wa kurenu
to omou wa yama no kage ni zo arikeru - English Translation
-
As evening cicadas
begin their cries, the day seems done—
so I thought at first;
yet it was but the mountain’s
shadow that had fallen there.
- Meaning
- As the evening cicadas began to cry, I thought the day had already ended—but it was only that we had entered the mountain’s shadow.
- Commentary
-
Book Four Autumn Poems (Part One)
As the higurashi cicadas begin to cry, the scene grows dark, leading one to think that the day has already ended. Yet in truth, the darkness comes from entering the mountain’s shadow.
The word “higurashi” evokes an association with “day’s end,” deepening the impression that evening has already fallen.
- Author
- Unknown Poet
- Source
- Kokin Wakashu
- Prev Poem
-
Momijiba no chirite tsumoreru waga yado ni
tare o matsumushi kokora nakuramu - Next Poem
-
Higurashi no naku yamazato no yūgure wa
kaze yori hoka ni tou hito mo nashi