難波潟葦の葉白く置く霜の
冴えたる夜半に鶴ぞ鳴くなる
冴えたる夜半に鶴ぞ鳴くなる
- Roma-ji
-
Naniwagata ashi no ha shiroku oku shimo no saetaru yowa ni tazu zo nakunaru
- English Translation
-
On Naniwa's flats
the frost lies white upon
the leaves of the reeds,
and in the midnight's bitter cold
I hear the cranes crying.
- Meaning
- On the tidal flats of Naniwa, frost lies white on the reed leaves, and in the piercing cold of midnight I hear the cranes crying.
- Commentary
-
Winter Poems 326
Headnote: "Frost"
This poem was composed on the theme of frost. Frost lies white on the reed leaves of the Naniwa flats, and in the bitter cold of midnight the cry of cranes is heard. The poet sets the voice of cranes coming out of the dark against the whiteness and chill of the frost.
Kamo no Mabuchi marked it with a circle.
Line 1 names the tidal flats of Naniwa in Settsu, a poetic place. Poem 359 also opens with Naniwa and likewise sings of cranes.
Line 2 tells of the reed leaves whitened by frost.
Line 3 means "the frost that settles."
Line 4 means "in the bitterly cold midnight."
Line 5: zo is a binding particle concluded with naru, the attributive of nari, which infers from sound. Following 314, it again sings the voice of cranes in winter.
- Author
- Minamoto no Sanetomo
- Source
- Kinkaishu
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