Aki no yo ya ama no kawase wa kōruran tsuki no hikari no saemasaru kana - Senzai Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

秋の夜や天の川瀬は凍るらむ
月の光の冴えまさるかな

Roma-ji: Aki no yo ya ama no kawase wa kōruran tsuki no hikari no saemasaru kana
English Translation: On this autumn night
have the shallows of the River
of Heaven frozen?
How the brilliance of the moon
grows ever colder still!
Meaning: On this autumn night, have the shallows of the River of Heaven frozen over? The moonlight grows ever colder and more piercing.
Commentary: Book Four Autumn Poems I 288

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Topic unknown"
On this autumn night, the poet wonders whether the shallows of the River of Heaven have frozen, for the moonlight grows ever colder and more piercing. Guessing that the moon's light is keener because the heavenly river it crosses has frozen, he explains the cold, clear moonlight of autumn by the ice of the river in the sky.
The author, "Fujiwara no Michitsune," was the son of Fujiwara no Akitsuna. He served as Governor of Izumi and rose to Junior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade. Active in the poetry circle of Fujiwara no Tadamichi's house, he is said to have introduced Shunzei to Mototoshi.
Where 279 of this book likened moonlight to ice in a garden, this poem imagines ice on the River of Heaven. "Ama no kawara" in 239 and "ama no gawa" in 241 of this book also speak of the River of Heaven.

First line, "aki no yo ya": the interrogative "ya" answers the conjecture that follows.
Second line, "ama no kawase wa": "the shallows of the River of Heaven." The River of Heaven also appears in the Tanabata poems 239 and 241 of this book.
Third line, "kōruran": "ramu" is present conjecture: "have they frozen?" The poem pauses here.
Fourth line, "tsuki no hikari no": "the light of the moon."
Fifth line, "saemasaru kana": "saemasaru" means to grow ever colder and keener, and "kana" is exclamatory. "Saete mo tsuki no" in 276 and "oto saete" in 293 of this book also use "saeru."
Author: Fujiwara no Michitsune
Source: Senzai Wakashu
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