Haru natsu wa sora ya wa kawaru aki no yo no tsuki shimo ikade terimasaruramu - Shika Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

春夏は空やは変はる秋の夜の
月しもいかで照りまさるらむ

Roma-ji: Haru natsu wa sora ya wa kawaru aki no yo no tsuki shimo ikade terimasaruramu
English Translation: In spring and summer
is the sky any different?
Then why on autumn nights
does the moon alone, I wonder,
shine with a brighter glow?
Meaning: The sky does not change in spring or summer. Why, then, does the moon on autumn nights alone shine so much brighter?
Commentary: Book Three Autumn Poems 96

Headnote: "Composed for a poetry contest held at my house"
The author is listed here as an unnumbered poet, but the Shikashu attributes the poem to the Commander of the Left Gate Guards, Fujiwara no Ienari. It was composed for a poetry contest held at his own residence.
The sky is no different in spring, summer or autumn, so why is the moon bright only on autumn nights? Lining up the seasons sharpens the same question raised by the preceding poem.

The first line, "haru natsu wa," means "in spring and summer," naming the seasons set against autumn.
The second line, "sora ya wa kawaru," is rhetorical: "does the sky change? No." The poem pauses here.
The third line, "aki no yo no," sets the autumn night against the other seasons.
The fourth line, "tsuki shimo ikade," means "why the moon especially," with shimo for emphasis and ikade asking why.
The last line, "terimasaruramu," is the same as in the preceding poem, 95, the two poems layering the same question from different angles.
Source: Shika Wakashu
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