板間より月の漏るをも見つるかな
宿は荒らして住むべかりけり
宿は荒らして住むべかりけり
- Roma-ji
-
Itama yori tsuki no moru o mo mitsuru kana yado wa arashite sumu bekarikeri
- English Translation
-
Through the gaps between
the boards I have seen even
the moonlight stealing in —
how right it would have been to live
in a house left to fall to ruin
- Meaning
- I have even seen the moonlight leaking in through the gaps in the roof boards; how right it is to live in a house left to go to ruin.
- Commentary
-
Book Nine Miscellaneous Poems I 294
Seeing moonlight leak in through gaps in the roof boards, the poet says a house is best lived in when left to fall into disrepair. Rather than lamenting decay, the poem turns it into the elegance of enjoying the moon, revealing the spirit of a life of rustic simplicity.
The author, Ryozen, is a monk also known for his poem in the Hyakunin Isshu on the loneliness of a mountain village.
The first line, "itama yori," means through the gaps in the boards.
The second line, "tsuki no moru o mo," uses "mo": even the moon leaking in. Poem 307 of this book also uses "tsuki no moru," depicting moonlight through cedars.
The third line, "mitsuru kana," combines the attributive perfective "tsuru" and exclamatory "kana": I have seen it, with a break after the third line.
The fourth line, "yado wa arashite," means letting the house fall into ruin.
The final line, "sumu bekarikeri," combines the obligation "beshi" and exclamatory "keri," ending with the realization that one should live so.
- Author
- Ryōzen
- Source
- Shika Wakashu
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