Tsuyu no chiru ashi no wakaba ni tsuki saete aki o arasou Naniwae no ura

露の散る芦の若葉に月冴えて
秋を争ふ難波江の浦

Roma-ji: Tsuyu no chiru ashi no wakaba ni tsuki saete aki o arasou Naniwae no ura
English Translation: Where the dew is spilt
on the young leaves of the reeds
the moon shines so clear,
vying with the autumn now,
the bay of Naniwa's inlet.
Meaning: On the young reed leaves scattered with dew the moon shines cold and clear, so that the bay of Naniwa seems to vie with autumn itself.
Commentary: Summer Poems 242

Headnote: "The summer moon by the sea"
This poem was composed on the topic of the summer moon by the sea. At the bay of Naniwa, the moonlight gleams cold and clear on young reed leaves wet with dew, so that the summer scene seems to rival autumn in beauty. The poet finds the autumn imagery of dew and a cold, clear moon on a summer shore.
Where the preceding poem imagined the humble huts where the moon is hidden by the smoke of smudge fires, here the moon by the sea shines brilliantly, pairing a place where the moon cannot be seen with one where it shines clear enough to rival autumn.

First line, “tsuyu no chiru”: dew spilling and scattering, an image that recalls autumn.
Second line, “ashi no wakaba ni”: the young leaves of reeds growing in summer, marking the season.
Third line, “tsuki saete”: the moonlight shining cold and clear; a clear, cold moon is usually associated with autumn or winter.
Fourth line, “aki o arasou”: though a summer scene, it vies with autumn in beauty.
Fifth line, “Naniwae no ura”: the poem ends on a noun, naming Naniwa inlet in Settsu, a poetic place famed for its reeds.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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