classic waka stream

賤機に思ひ乱れて秋の夜の
明くるも知らず嘆きつるかな
Roma-ji

Shizuhata ni omoi midarete aki no yo no akuru mo shirazu nagekitsuru kana

English Translation
Like the shizu loom,
my thoughts tangled into knots,
the long autumn night—
not knowing it had turned to dawn,
I spent it all in grieving
Meaning
My thoughts tangled like the threads of a shizu loom, I grieved through the autumn night without even noticing it had turned to dawn.
Commentary
Book Thirteen Love Poems V 902

Headnote: "Sent to someone he loved in secret."
The poet says that, his thoughts tangled like the threads of a shizu loom, he grieved without noticing that the autumn night had turned to dawn. Overlaying the tangled threads of the loom with the tangle of love's thoughts, he tells of the pain of a sleepless night spent in grief.
According to the headnote, the poem was sent to someone he loved in secret. Poems on autumn nights have run in this book since 898, and "akuru," dawning, echoes "akuredo akenu" in 899.
The poet, listed as "the Posthumous Chancellor," was Fujiwara no Tokihira. The eldest son of Fujiwara no Mototsune, he rose to Minister of the Left and was posthumously granted the office of Chancellor, hence the name. He is known for having Sugawara no Michizane exiled to Dazaifu.

The first line, "Shizuhata ni," means "like the shizu loom," leading to "midare," tangling, from the tangling of threads on the loom.
The second line, "omoi midarete," means "my thoughts in tangles," overlaying the loom's threads and the turmoil of love.
The third line, "aki no yo no," means "of the long autumn night."
The fourth line, "akuru mo shirazu," means "not knowing that it dawned," showing that he grieved the whole night through.
The last line, "nagekitsuru kana," means "how I have grieved," with "kana" an exclamatory final particle.
Author
Fujiwara no Tokihira
Source
Gosen Wakashu
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