世の中の人の心のうき雲に
空隠れする有明の月
空隠れする有明の月
- Roma-ji
-
Yo no naka no hito no kokoro no ukigumo ni soragakure suru ariake no tsuki
- English Translation
-
Behind the drifting clouds
of sorrow in the hearts
of the people of the world,
it hides itself in the sky —
the moon that lingers at dawn
- Meaning
- Behind the drifting, sorrowful clouds in the hearts of the people of this world, the moon of dawn hides itself away in the sky.
- Commentary
-
Book Ten Miscellaneous Poems II 415
Just as the dawn moon disappears behind drifting clouds, the poet says, the sorrow and delusion in people's hearts cover over a precious light so that it cannot be seen. The dawn moon seems to stand for the Buddha's teaching that illuminates people, and playing "uki" as both drifting and sorrowful, the poem laments the delusion-filled human heart.
This is the last poem of the Shika Wakashu. Whereas the preceding poem, 414, wished to light those lost in darkness with the moon of the heart, this one says that the drifting clouds of human hearts hide the moon, so the anthology closes with two poems of the moon. Poems 351 and 408 of this book also sing of the dawn moon.
The first line, "yo no naka no," means of this world.
The second line, "hito no kokoro no," refers to the hearts of the people of the world.
The third line, "ukigumo ni," is a pivot word joining "ukigumo" (drifting clouds) and "uki" (sorrowful).
The fourth line, "soragakure suru," refers to hiding away in the sky.
The final line, "ariake no tsuki," ends with a noun, presenting the moon left in the dawn sky. It answers "ariake" in poem 351, so the book's beginning and end echo each other.
- Author
- Tōren
- Source
- Shika Wakashu
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Ikade ware kokoro no tsuki o arawashite yami ni madoeru hito o terasamu
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Kimi ga yo wa kumori mo araji Mikasayama mine ni asahi no sasamu kagiri wa