Iwa ni seku akai no mizu no warinaki ni kokoro sume to mo yadoru tsuki kana

岩にせく閼伽井の水のわりなきに
心澄めとも宿る月かな

Roma-ji: Iwa ni seku akai no mizu no warinaki ni kokoro sume to mo yadoru tsuki kana
English Translation: Though the water's scant
in the holy well held back
by the rock's damming,
the moon dwells there all the same,
as if to say, 'Make your heart clear.'
Meaning: Though the water of the holy well, dammed by rocks, is so scant, the moon lodges in it as if to say, "Let your heart grow clear."
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 1368

Headnote: none
Though the water of the holy well, held back by rocks, is scant, the moon lodges in it as if to tell him to clear his heart, the poet says.
Following the preceding poem, it sings of water offered to the Buddha. In the moonlight that lodges even in so little water he sees the light of the teaching, prompting him to clear his heart, a state of the Buddhist path.

First line, “iwa ni seku”: dammed by the rocks.
Second line, “akai no mizu no”: akai is a well from which water for the altar is drawn.
Third line, “warinaki ni”: taken as "though it is so scant."
Fourth line, “kokoro sume to mo”: "let your heart be clear."
Fifth line, “yadoru tsuki kana”: kana is exclamatory, wonder at the moon reflected in the water.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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