Kasugayama oshite teraseru kono tsuki wa imo ga niwa ni mo sayakeku arikeri

春日山おして照らせるこの月は
妹が庭にもさやけくありけり

Roma-ji: Kasugayama oshite teraseru kono tsuki wa imo ga niwa ni mo sayakeku arikeri
English Translation: On Kasuga Hill
spreading its light everywhere,
this very moon
in my darling's garden too
was shining clear and bright
Meaning: This moon that floods all Mount Kasuga with light—I see now that it was shining clear and bright in my beloved's garden too.
Commentary: Book Seven Miscellaneous Poems 1074

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "On the Moon"
This poem captures the poet's delight on realizing that the moon lighting all of Mount Kasuga was also shining clearly on the garden of the woman he loves. Behind it lies the feeling that the same moonlight joins him to her.
Where the preceding poem lamented the dullness of watching the moon alone, here the moon brings the beloved close, making a contrasting pair. The poet is unknown.

The first line, "On Kasuga Hill," names the mountain east of Nara, the most familiar peak seen from the capital.
In the second line, "spreading its light everywhere," "oshite" means pressing out across the whole area, and "-seru" is the attributive form of the stative auxiliary "ri," "that is shining."
The third line, "this very moon," presents the moon now being watched as the subject.
In the fourth line, "in my darling's garden too," "mo" (too) means not only where the poet stands but also in her garden. The moonlight bridges the distance to her house.
In the final line, "was shining clear and bright," "keri" expresses a sudden realization: it had been shining brightly all along. The line has an extra syllable.
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Tamadare no osu no ma tōshi hitori ite miru shirushi naki yūzukuyo kamo
Next Poem: Unabara no michi tōmi kamo tsukuyomi no hikari sukunaki yo wa fukenitsutsu