秋深み花には菊の関なれば
下葉に月ももり明かしけり
下葉に月ももり明かしけり
- Roma-ji
-
Aki fukami hana ni wa kiku no seki nareba shitaba ni tsuki mo moriakashikeri
- English Translation
-
Autumn deepening,
of all flowers, the chrysanthemum
is the final barrier,
and on its lower leaves the moon
kept watch, leaking through till dawn
- Meaning
- As autumn deepens, the chrysanthemum is the last barrier of the flowering season, and so even the moonlight slipped down to its lower leaves and kept watch there until dawn.
- Commentary
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Book Three Autumn Poems 126
This is a poem by Retired Emperor Sutoku, who commanded the compilation of the Shikashu.
In deep autumn the chrysanthemum is the last flower of the year, so he likens it to the final barrier of the flowers. Through the phrase "barrier of chrysanthemums," recalling the Kikuta Barrier in Michinoku, he sings that, as a barrier guard keeps watch all night, the moonlight too leaked down to the lower leaves and kept vigil till dawn. It is an ingenious poem binding moon and chrysanthemum through the image of a barrier. With it the chrysanthemum sequence begins.
The first line, "aki fukami," means "since autumn is deep," the suffix mi showing cause. It is the first poem of the chrysanthemum sequence.
The second line, "hana ni wa kiku no," means "among flowers, the chrysanthemum," the last flower of the year.
The third line, "seki nareba," means "since it is a barrier," likening the chrysanthemum to the last barrier of the flowers and recalling the Kikuta Barrier in Michinoku.
The fourth line, "shitaba ni tsuki mo," means "the moonlight, even on the lower leaves."
In the last line, "moriakashikeri," moru is a pivot word joining the leaking of light and the guarding of a barrier, an associated word with seki that binds the poem together.
- Author
- Retired Emperor Sutoku
- Source
- Shika Wakashu
- Prev Poem
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Akihagi o kusa no makura ni musubu yo wa chikaku mo shika no koe o kiku kana
- Next Poem
-
Shimogaruru hajime to mizu wa shiragiku no utsurou iro o nagekazaramashi