Tsuyushimo no yowa ni okiite fuyu no yo no tsuki miru hodo ni sode wa kōrinu

English Translation

In the night of frost and dew
I sat awake as it settled,
and while I gazed upon
the moon of the winter night
my sleeves froze stiff

Meaning

I sat up awake in the middle of the night as the frosty dew settled, and while I gazed at the winter moon, my sleeves froze stiff.

Commentary

Book Six Winter Poems 601

Headnote: "Topic unknown."
This is the eleventh poem of the winter-moon sequence. Sitting up awake at midnight as the frosty dew settles, the speaker gazes at the winter moon until his sleeves freeze. The headnote gives no topic, and the circumstances of composition are not recorded.
The author, "Sone no Yoshitada," is Sone no Yoshitada. Having served as Secretary of Tango, he was called Sotango or Sotan. He is known as a poet who composed hundred-poem sequences at an early date.
The scene is midnight in winter as the frosty dew settles, and the place is where one gazes at the moon.
The direct occasion is not recorded.

The first line, "tsuyushimo no," refers to dew and frost, or dew on the point of freezing into frost.
In the second line, "yowa ni okiite," "oki" carries both "being awake" and the "settling" of the frosty dew. "Ite" means "remaining just so."
The third line, "fuyu no yo no," modifies "tsuki," moon, in the fourth line.
The fourth line, "tsuki miru hodo ni," means "while gazing at the moon," marking the passage of time.
The last line, "sode wa kōrinu," means "my sleeves have frozen," with "nu" as a perfective auxiliary. The length of time spent gazing at the moon and the cold of the winter night are shown through the result of frozen sleeves. It shares with the opening poem of the book, 551, which sang of dew on the sleeve of one awake all night binding into frost, both the double meaning of "oki" and the freezing upon the sleeve. Following the clear moon of the preceding poem, it moves to the cold of a night spent gazing at that moon.

Author

Sone no Yoshitada

Source

Shin Kokin Wakashu

Other