行く人も天の門渡る心地して
雲の波路に月を見るかな
雲の波路に月を見るかな
- Roma-ji
-
Yuku hito mo ama no to wataru kokochi shite kumo no namiji ni tsuki o miru kana
- English Translation
-
One who travels too
feels as if he crosses through
the gateway of heaven,
as along the cloud-wave path
I gaze upon the moon
- Meaning
- Even a traveler feels as though crossing the gate of heaven, as I watch the moon along the waves of cloud.
- Commentary
-
Book Nine Miscellaneous Poems I 297
Seeing the moon along a path of clouds likened to waves, a traveler feels as if crossing the gateway of heaven. Overlaying an earthly journey with a heavenly one, the poem has a grand conception.
Like the heart drawn by the moon above the clouds in poem 293 of this book, it sings of a longing that rises toward heaven with the moon.
The first line, "yuku hito mo" (one who travels too), adds the traveler with "mo."
The second line, "ama no to wataru," refers to crossing the gate of heaven, suggesting the moon's path across the sky.
The third line, "kokochi shite" (feeling as if), conveys the impression.
The fourth line, "kumo no namiji ni," likens the clouds to waves and names the path through them.
The final line, "tsuki o miru kana," ends with the exclamatory "kana": I gaze upon the moon.
- Source
- Shika Wakashu
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