Saturday, 18 May 2013

Kokinshu #392

Saturday, 18 May 2013 20:21
lnhammer: the Chinese character for poetry, red on white background (Default)
Written when someone came to worship at Kazan and was returning home at dusk.

    If only, at dusk,
our brushwood fence would appear
    to be a mountain
-- "I cannot cross that at night."
you might say, and take lodgings.

—15 May 2013

Original by Henjô. The first of a group of poems by monks saying farewell to lay visitors to temples. For Kazan, see ##119. (Henjô may not have been the best poet of the era, but I find his poetic personality the most appealing of the Kokinshu poets.)


yûgure no
magaki wa yama to
mienanamu
yoru wa koeji to
yadori torubeku


---L.

About

Warning: contents contain line-breaks.

As language practice, I like to translate poetry. My current project is Chinese, with practice focused on Tang Dynasty poetry. Previously this was classical Japanese, most recently working through the Kokinshu anthology (archived here). Suggestions, corrections, and questions always welcome.

There's also original pomes in the journal archives.

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