かもめ居る沖の白洲に降る雪の
晴れゆく空の月のさやけさ
晴れゆく空の月のさやけさ
- Roma-ji
-
Kamome iru oki no shirasu ni furu yuki no hareyuku sora no tsuki no sayakesa
- English Translation
-
Where the gulls alight
on the white sandbar offshore,
the falling snow
clears from the sky, and there
how bright and clear the moon!
- Meaning
- The snow that fell on the white sandbar offshore where the gulls alight clears away, and in the clearing sky, how bright and pure the moon!
- Commentary
-
Winter Poems 378
Headnote: "On white"
This poem was composed on the theme of white. The snow falling on the white sandbar offshore where gulls rest clears away, and in the clearing sky the moon shines bright and pure. Laying white things one upon another, gull, sandbar, snow, and moon, the poet paints the theme of white.
The Ruijū text gives the headnote as "White" and places the poem in the miscellaneous section. Kamo no Mabuchi marked it with a circle.
Line 1 means "where gulls rest," setting a white bird first.
Line 2 means "on the white sandbar offshore."
Line 3 is the snow falling on the sandbar, leading to "clearing" in line 4.
Line 4 means "the sky that is clearing as the snow stops."
Line 5 names the clear brightness of the moon, ending on a noun to express wonder. After gull, sandbar, and snow, the moon is placed last, completing the layering of white.
- Author
- Minamoto no Sanetomo
- Source
- Kinkaishu
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Hashitaka no kyō ya shirafu ni kawaruramu tokaeru yama ni yuki no furereba
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Takasago no onoe no matsu ni furu yuki no furite ikuyo no toshi ka tsumoreru