ひとりゐて月をながむる秋の夜は
何事をかは思ひ残さん
何事をかは思ひ残さん
- Roma-ji
-
Hitori ite tsuki o nagamuru aki no yo wa nanigoto o ka wa omoi nokosan
- English Translation
-
On an autumn night
when I sit alone and gaze
out upon the moon,
what is left among my thoughts
that I do not dwell upon?
- Meaning
- On an autumn night when I sit alone gazing at the moon, what thought could I possibly leave unthought?
- Commentary
-
Book Sixteen Miscellaneous Poems I 983
Headnote: "Topic unknown"
On an autumn night when I sit alone gazing at the moon, what could I leave unthought, he asks. Facing the moon alone on an autumn night, his thoughts run on endlessly until he has thought through everything, and the poem sings of the depth of reflection before the moon.
The author, "Prince Tomohira, Minister of Central Affairs," was a son of Emperor Murakami. He served as minister of central affairs and was called the Later Prince of the Central Affairs Ministry. He excelled in poetry and learning and associated with Fujiwara no Kintō and others.
From this poem on, moon poems with unknown topics continue, and the heart of one who gazes at the moon alone is sung again and again. "Hitori ite" in this poem also echoes "hitori nomi" in 986 and "hitori zo tsuki wa" in 993 of this book.
First line, "hitori ite": "sitting alone." It answers "hitori nomi" in the first line of 986 of this book.
Second line, "tsuki o nagamuru": "nagamu" means to gaze while lost in thought.
Third line, "aki no yo wa": "on an autumn night," the season when the moon is most beautiful.
Fourth line, "nanigoto o ka wa": "ka wa" is a rhetorical binding particle closing with "n" in the fifth line, "what thing."
Fifth line, "omoi nokosan": "n" is the attributive of the conjectural "mu," "could I leave unthought? I think through everything."
- Author
- Prince Tomohira
- Source
- Senzai Wakashu
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Ama no gawa sora yuku tsuki wa hitotsu nite yadoranu mizu no ikade nakaran
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Mono omowanu hito mo ya koyoi nagamuran nerarenu mama ni tsuki o miru kana