Aki no yo no tsuki no hikari wa kiyokeredo hito no kokoro no kuma wa terasazu - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

秋の夜の月の光は清けれど
人の心の隈は照らさず

Roma-ji: Aki no yo no tsuki no hikari wa kiyokeredo hito no kokoro no kuma wa terasazu
English Translation: The light of the moon
on an autumn night is clear,
and yet it cannot
shine into the shadowed corners
hidden in the hearts of men
Meaning: The light of the autumn moon is pure, yet it does not reach the shadowed corners of the human heart.
Commentary: Book Six Autumn Poems II 323

Headnote: "At the poetry contest at the residence of Prince Koresada."
The poet says that the light of the autumn moon is pure, yet it does not shine into the dark corners hidden deep in the human heart. It laments that however bright the moon, the heart within cannot be seen through.
According to the headnote, it was composed at a poetry contest held at the residence of Prince Koresada, a son of Emperor Kōkō. Both 323 and 324 of this book are poems from the poetry contest at Prince Koresada's residence.
The poet is listed as "anonymous," and the composer's name has not come down to us.

The first line, "Aki no yo no," means "of the autumn night," the same opening as 318 and 320 of this book.
The second line, "tsuki no hikari wa," means "the moonlight," the same words as the second line of 319 in this book.
In the third line, "do" gives a definite concession: "though it is pure."
The fourth line, "hito no kokoro no," means "of the human heart," setting the moonlight against the heart.
In the last line, "kuma" means a shadowed or secluded place: "it does not light the hidden depths of the heart."
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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