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Kokinshu #188
Monday, 9 January 2012 10:45 (Topic unknown.)
Even though the bed
where I lie down alone
is not made of grass,
when the autumn evening comes
it is soaked through with the dew.
hitori nuru
toko wa kusaba ni
aranedomo
aki kuru yoi wa
tsuyukekarikeri
---L.
Even though the bed
where I lie down alone
is not made of grass,
when the autumn evening comes
it is soaked through with the dew.
—2 January 2012
(Original author unknown.) Some editions read neru instead of the archaic spelling nuru used in my base text -- both mean "lie down"/"sleep." To sleep on grass (especially a grass pillow) is a common metonymy for traveling, and we are to understand the supposed dew is probably tears -- though whether because of the season, as the poem's placement suggests, or a separation is an open question. Note the shift to considering autumnal nights.hitori nuru
toko wa kusaba ni
aranedomo
aki kuru yoi wa
tsuyukekarikeri
---L.