Ayaniku ni shiruku mo tsuki no yadoru kana yo ni magirete to omou tamoto ni

あやにくにしるくも月の宿るかな
夜にまぎれてと思ふ袂に

Roma-ji: Ayaniku ni shiruku mo tsuki no yadoru kana yo ni magirete to omou tamoto ni
English Translation: Spitefully, how clear
the moon has come to lodge
for all to see,
in these sleeves where I had thought
to hide my tears in the night!
Meaning: How spitefully clear the moon lodges in my sleeves, just where I thought to hide my tears in the darkness of night!
Commentary: Love Poems 638

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "The moon"
The poet meant to weep unseen under cover of the night, yet the moon is reflected all too clearly in his tear-wet sleeves, making his tears all the more conspicuous. The poem catches the irony of moonlight laying bare the tears of a secret love.

First line, “ayaniku ni”: unluckily, as if out of spite.
Second line, “shiruku mo tsuki no”: shirushi is distinct, clear to see; this answers the topic.
Third line, “yadoru kana”: kana is exclamatory; the poem breaks after the third line.
Fourth line, “yo ni magirete to”: meaning to hide my tears in the darkness of night.
Fifth line, “omou tamoto ni”: in the sleeves where I meant to do so, returning in inversion to yadoru in the third line.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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