月冴ゆる御手洗川に影見えて
氷に摺れる山藍の袖
氷に摺れる山藍の袖
- Roma-ji
-
Tsuki sayuru Mitarashigawa ni kage miete kōri ni sureru yamaai no sode
- English Translation
-
Where the moon shines cold
on the Mitarashi River,
reflections appear—
as though printed upon ice,
sleeves dyed in mountain indigo.
- Meaning
- In the Mitarashi River, where the moon shines cold and clear, the dancers' reflections appear—sleeves of mountain indigo, as though printed upon ice.
- Commentary
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Book Nineteen Poems on the Gods 1889
Headnote: "Composed on a scene of the Special Festival painted on a screen for the entry of an imperial consort into the palace in Bunji 6."
This is the second poem in the sequence on the Kamo Shrines. In the Mitarashi River, where the moon shines cold, the dancers' reflections appear, and their sleeves printed with mountain indigo look as though printed upon ice. According to the headnote, it was composed on a scene of the Special Festival painted on a screen for the entry of an imperial consort into the palace in Bunji 6 (1190). The chill beauty of a winter night's festival is painted with moon, water, and the color of sleeves.
The author, "Kōtaigōgū no Daibu Toshinari," Master of the Empress Dowager's Household, is Fujiwara no Shunzei. He was the father of Fujiwara no Teika and compiled the Senzai Wakashū.
The entry of a consort in Bunji 6 refers to Ninshi, daughter of Kujō Kanezane, entering the palace of Emperor Go-Toba. Screens were prepared as furnishings for the occasion, and poets composed poems to match the scenes painted on them.
The Kamo Special Festival was held in the eleventh month, and the dancers wore blue-printed robes patterned with mountain indigo.
The first line, "tsuki sayuru," means "where the moon shines cold and clear," indicating the winter night of the Special Festival in the eleventh month.
The second line, "Mitarashigawa ni," means "in the Mitarashi River" flowing through the precincts of the Kamo Shrines. Taking up "Mitarashi" in the preceding poem, it tells of the same river.
The third line, "kage miete," means "reflections appearing." Where the preceding poem lamented a sorrowful reflection on the water, this one mirrors the bright figures of festival dancers, so that the reflections in the same river form a pair.
The fourth line, "kōri ni sureru," means "as though printed upon ice." The water, lit by the cold moonlight, is seen as ice and overlaid with the printed patterns of the sleeves. It corresponds to "sureru koromo" in poem 1870 of this book, both telling of the printed robes of the Special Festival.
The last line, "yamaai no sode," is the dancers' sleeves dyed with mountain indigo, ending on a noun.
- Author
- Fujiwara no Shunzei
- Source
- Shin Kokin Wakashu
- Prev Poem
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Toshi o hete uki kage o nomi Mitarashi no kawaru yo mo naki mi o ika ni sen
- Next Poem
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Yūshide no kaze ni midaruru oto saete niwa shirotae ni yuki zo tsumoreru