Hyakunin Isshu, Poem 31
Translation and comments by Ad Blankestijn
(version September 2022)
the light of the lingering moon
at break of day,
so it seemed,
the white snow fallen
in Yoshino village
asaborake
ariake no tsuki to
miru made ni
Yoshino no sato ni
fureru shirayuki
朝ぼらけ
有明の月と
みるまでに
吉野の里に
ふれる白雪
Sakanoue no Korenori 坂上是則 (dates unknown)
[Cherry blossoms instead of snow at Mt Yoshino (just like moonlight in the poem below, cherry blossoms were also often mistaken for snow)]
There exists interesting links between this poem and the preceding two. As in poem 30, we again have a waning moon in the early morning - but with the difference that here we find an express reference to the first faint light of dawn in winter (asaborake instead of akatsuki). In addition, we have an example of "elegant confusion" as in poem 29, presenting another image of whiteness so treasured by Teika.
Notes
- asaborake: the first faint light of dawn
- ariake no tsuki to miru made ni: "it could be mistaken for the waning moonlight at dawn". In other words, white snow is lying on the earth, but it is as if the ground is illuminated white by the light of the moon.
- Yoshino: a mountain village about 50 km south of Nara, known for its
cherry blossoms and its heavy snowfall. Yoshino also figures in poem 94.
The Poet
Little is known about this poet, but he is said to have lived in the late ninth century. He was a fourth-generation descendant of generalissimo Sakanoue no Tamuramaro and served as governor of Kaga province. Eight of his poems have been preserved in the Kokinshu and about 30 more in later imperial anthologies.
Visiting
See the description of Yoshino and ways to visit it at the bottom of poem 94.
References: Pictures of the Heart, The Hyakunin Isshu in Word and Image by Joshua S. Mostow (University of Hawai'i Press, 1996); Traditional Japanese Poetry, An Anthology, by Steven D. Carter (Stanford University Press, 1991); Hyakunin Isshu by Inoue Muneo, etc. (Shinchosha, 1990); Genshoku Hyakunin Isshu by Suzuki Hideo, etc. (Buneido, 1997); Ogura Hyakunin Isshu at Japanese Text Initiative (University of Virginia Library Etext Center); Hyakunin Isshu wo aruku by Shimaoka Shin (Kofusha Shuppan); Hyakunin Isshu, Ocho waka kara chusei waka e by Inoue Muneo (Chikuma Shoin, 2004); Basho's Haiku (2 vols) by Toshiharu Oseko (Maruzen, 1990); The Ise Stories by Joshua S. Mostow and Royall Tyler (University of Hawai'i Press, 2010); Kokin Wakashu, The First Imperial Anthology of Japanese Poetry by Helen Craig McCullough (Stanford University Press, 1985); Kokinshu, A Collection of Poems Ancient and Modern by Laurel Rasplica Rodd and Mary Catherine Henkenius (University of Tokyo Press, 1984); Kokin Wakashu (Shogakkan, 1994); Shinkokin Wakashu (Shogakkan, 1995); Taketori Monogatari-Ise Monogatari-Yamato Monogatari-Heichu Monogatari (Shogakkan, 1994).
Photo from Wikipedia.
Hyakunin Isshu Index