Aware shiru sora ni wa araji wabibito no namida zo kyō wa ame to fururan

あはれ知る空にはあらじわび人の
涙ぞ今日は雨と降るらん

Roma-ji: Aware shiru sora ni wa araji wabibito no namida zo kyō wa ame to fururan
English Translation: It is not the sky
that knows what sorrow is, no;
of the grieving ones
it must be the tears that fall
today as the rain comes down.
Meaning: It is not the sky that knows sorrow; today it must be the tears of the grieving that fall as rain.
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 830

Headnote: "Reply"
This is the reply of the Lady Shōnagon of the Retired Emperor's household, apparently a lady close to the Second Rank Lady, though little is known of her. It is not the sky that knows sorrow; today the tears of the grieving must be falling as rain, she writes, taking up 'the sky that knows sorrow' and turning it about to say the rain is the people's tears themselves.

First line, “aware shiru”: the same words as the first line of the preceding poem.
Second line, “sora ni wa araji”: ji is negative conjecture, it is not the sky; the poem breaks here.
Third line, “wabibito no”: wabibito are those sunk in grief.
Fourth line, “namida zo kyō wa”: zo is answered by ran in the fifth line.
Fifth line, “ame to fururan”: must be falling as rain, reversing 'namida ni ame o souru' of the preceding poem.
Author: Lady Shōnagon of the Retired Emperor's household
Source: Sankashu
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