Itsu to naku Washi no takane ni sumu tsuki no hikari o yadosu Shiga no Karasaki - Senzai Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

いつとなく鷲の高嶺にすむ月の
光を宿す志賀の唐崎

Roma-ji: Itsu to naku Washi no takane ni sumu tsuki no hikari o yadosu Shiga no Karasaki
English Translation: At every hour
on the heights of Vulture Peak
the moon dwells clear,
and its light is mirrored here
at Karasaki in Shiga
Meaning: The moon that dwells forever clear on the heights of Vulture Peak lets its light rest here on the waters at Karasaki in Shiga.
Commentary: Book Twenty Shinto Poems 1276

Headnote: "Composed thinking of the original form of the Great Shrine of Hiyoshi"
He composed this thinking of the original Buddhist form of the Great Shrine of Hiyoshi, held to be Śākyamuni. Karasaki in Shiga holds the light of the moon that ever dwells clear on the heights of Vulture Peak, he says. Likening the moon over Vulture Peak, where the Buddha forever preaches, to the original Buddha, and its reflection on the lake at Karasaki, closely tied to the Hiyoshi Shrine, to the god in which he manifests, he sings of the Buddha of distant India appearing as a god in this land.
The author, "Hokkyō Shōken," was a monk of the late Heian period who held the rank of hokkyō. The details of his life are not known.
It follows the preceding poem, 1275, as a poem on Hiyoshi; that poem sings of the god's blessing as sunlight, this one as moonlight.

First line, "itsu to naku": "at no fixed time," always.
Second line, "Washi no takane ni": the high peak of Vulture Peak, where the Buddha preached the Lotus Sutra.
Third line, "sumu tsuki no": "sumu" plays on the moon shining clear and the Buddha dwelling forever. The moon stands for Śākyamuni, the original form.
Fourth line, "hikari o yadosu": "lets its light rest" on the lake, meaning the original Buddha appearing as a god.
Fifth line, "Shiga no Karasaki": a place on the western shore of Lake Biwa in Ōmi, linked to the festivals of the Hiyoshi Shrine. It closes on a noun.
Author: Shōken
Source: Senzai Wakashu
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