月清み瀬々の網代に寄る氷魚は
玉藻に冴ゆる氷なりけり
玉藻に冴ゆる氷なりけり
- Roma-ji
-
Tsuki kiyomi seze no ajiro ni yoru hio wa tamamo ni sayuru kōri narikeri
- English Translation
-
The moon is so clear
that in each shallow's fish weir
the gathered ice fish
are ice frozen cold and bright
among the jeweled weeds
- Meaning
- The moon shines so clearly that the ice fish gathered at the weirs in every shallow turn out to be ice frozen cold upon the river weeds.
- Commentary
-
Book Four Winter Poems 268
Under the clear light of the moon, the ice fish gathering at the weirs in shallow after shallow gleam white like ice clinging to the water weeds. Playing on the name ice fish, the poem likens the small fish shining in the moonlight to ice.
Like the preceding poem, 267, it sings of ice fish drawn to the weirs, and the two form a pair. Where the preceding poem looked at the weir stakes and the waves, this one catches the ice fish themselves in the moonlight.
The author, Tsunenobu, is Minamoto no Tsunenobu. A son of Minamoto no Michikata, he rose to Major Counselor and was called the Katsura Counselor. In his last years he died at his post as Provisional Governor-General of Dazaifu. He was the father of the compiler, Minamoto no Toshiyori.
First line, 'tsuki kiyomi', means since the moon is clear, the stem of an adjective with mi expressing a cause.
Second line, 'seze no ajiro ni', means at the weirs in shallow after shallow.
Third line, 'yoru hio wa', means the ice fish that gather, taking up the first line of the preceding poem, 267, 'where the ice fish come'.
Fourth line, 'tamamo ni sayuru', means frozen cold upon the jeweled weeds.
Final line, 'kōri narikeri', means it was ice, likening the fish to ice after their name and closing with the exclamatory keri.
- Author
- Minamoto no Tsunenobu
- Source
- Kinyo Wakashu
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Hio no yoru kawase ni miyuru ajirogi wa tatsu shiranami no utsu ni ya aruramu
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