Yama no ha no sasara eotoko ama no hara towataru hikari miraku shi yoshi mo

山の端のささら愛壮士天の原
門渡る光見らくしよしも

Roma-ji: Yama no ha no sasara eotoko ama no hara towataru hikari miraku shi yoshi mo
English Translation: Over the mountain rim,
the fair youth Sasara-e—
across heaven's plain
his light that crosses the strait,
to look on it is a joy
Meaning: The light of the fair youth Sasara-e, risen over the mountain rim and crossing the strait of the wide plain of heaven, is a joy to look upon.
Commentary: Book Six Miscellaneous Poems 983

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Three poems on the moon by Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue"
The poem says that it is a joy to watch the light of the moon, risen at the mountain rim, crossing the wide sky. In this book, from 980 through 987, eight poems on the moon by different poets are arranged in succession. This is the third of Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue's three moon poems.
The left note says that, according to some, another name for the moon is "Sasara-e-otoko," and that this poem was composed on the basis of that word. Using a name that likens the moon to a young and handsome man, the poem praises the moonlight crossing the great sky. Where the preceding poem grieved over a moon veiled by night mist, this poem rejoices in moonlight crossing a clear sky, and the three poems are arranged to move from the slow moonrise, to the hazy moon, to the radiant moon.
The poet, Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue, was a daughter of Ōtomo no Yasumaro and a half-sister of Tabito. She was the aunt of her nephew Ōtomo no Yakamochi, and later her daughter, Lady Sakanoue the Elder, became Yakamochi's wife.

The idea of likening the moon to a man as "Sasara-e-otoko" shares with "Tsukuyomi-otoko" in 985 the personification of the moon as a young man, "otoko." The final line, "to look on it is a joy," also pairs with the final line of the preceding poem, 982, "when I look, how sad it is," reversing the light and shade of the heart that looks at the moon.
The first line, "Over the mountain rim," refers to the ridge of the mountain where it meets the sky, showing where the moon rises.
The second line, "the fair youth Sasara-e," is another name for the moon. As the left note says, it likens the moon to a young and handsome man, and here the moon is addressed like a person.
The third line, "across heaven's plain," refers to the wide expanse of the sky.
The fourth line, "his light that crosses the strait," means the light crossing the gateway of the sky. "To" originally means a narrow passage such as a strait, and the line likens the sky to the sea, showing the moon passing through its strait.
The final line, "to look on it is a joy," means "seeing it is pleasing." "Miraku" is a nominal form meaning "seeing," "shi" is an emphatic particle, and "mo" is exclamatory. With the joy of seeing the clear moonlight, it closes the three poems brightly.
Author: Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue
Source: Manyoshu
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