Tsuki o mite akashi no ura o izuru fune wa nami no yoru to ya omowazaruran

月を見てあかしの浦を出づる舟は
波のよるとや思はざるらん

Roma-ji: Tsuki o mite akashi no ura o izuru fune wa nami no yoru to ya omowazaruran
English Translation: Gazing at the moon,
the boats that set out from
the bright Akashi Bay—
do they not think it night
when the waves come drawing in?
Meaning: The boats that set out from Akashi Bay while gazing at the moon—do they not think it is night, as the waves draw near?
Commentary: One Hundred Poems 1475

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Ten Poems on the Moon"
The third of the ten poems on the moon. The boats rowing out of Akashi Bay under its bright moon may not even think it is night.
It exaggerates the moon's brightness as enough to make one forget it is night. Layering wordplay—Akashi with akashi, bright, and the waves' yoru, drawing near, with yoru, night—it expresses the brilliance of the moon. Where 1473 invoked Akashi for comparison, this poem sings of the moon of Akashi itself.

First line, “tsuki o mite”: gazing at the moon.
Second line, “akashi no ura o”: akashi is a pivot word joining the place Akashi and akashi, bright.
Third line, “izuru fune wa”: the boats rowing out; the line has an extra syllable.
Fourth line, “nami no yoru to ya”: yoru is a pivot word joining the waves' drawing near and night; ya is a binding particle answered by ran in the fifth line.
Fifth line, “omowazaruran”: ran, conjecture in attributive form, "do they not think so?"
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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