Hyakunin Isshu, Poem 79
Translation and comments by Ad Blankestijn
(version September 2022)
the moonlight piercing
through a break
in the clouds drifting
on the autumn wind -
how clear and bright it is!
akikaze ni
tanabiku kumo no
taema yori
more-izuru tsuki no
kage no sayakesa
秋風に
たなびく雲の
たえまより
もれ出づる月の
かげのさやけさ
Fujiwara no Akisuke 藤原顕輔 (1090-1155)
A straightforward, descriptive poem on the beauty of the moon, which appears now and then through a break in the drifting clouds. The fact that the moon is now hidden and then appears again, makes it all the more beautiful. At the same time, the rustling autumn wind adds a feeling of freshness.
Notes
- akikaze ni tanabiku kumo: "ni" indicates a reason: clouds drifting long sideways because of the autumn wind.
- taema: an opening in the clouds.
- moreizuru: passing through the break in the clouds
- tsuki no kage: the light (here not "shadow") of the moon.
- sayakesa: clear brightness
The Poet
Fujiwara no Akisuke (1090-1155) was a court noble and poet of the late Heian period. He served as "Master of the Western Capital" - Heiankyo was divided into an eastern and western half which were each controlled by an administrative office headed by a "master" or daibu. Surrounded by a number of talented poets, he played an active role in many poetry gatherings and contests, including the poetry contest held at the North Wing of the imperial residence of Toba in 1116. In 1144 he was commissioned by the Cloistered Emperor Sutoku to compile an imperial anthology, which was completed as "Shikashu" (the Collection of Verbal Flowers) in 1151. 84 of his verses were selected for the imperial anthologies from the Kin'yoshu (the Collection of Golden Leaves) onward. He also compiled a private anthology. Akisuke founded the Rokujo school of poets (a hereditary system) of the Rokujo clan of the Fujiwara family. This school opposed the new style championed by Teika's father, Shunzei (poem 83). Akisuke was the father of Kiyosuke (poem 84).
Shikashu (Shika Wakashu)
Poems included in Hyakunin Isshu: 48, 49, 61, 76, 77 (total 5)
References: Pictures of the Heart, The Hyakunin Isshu in Word and Image by Joshua S. Mostow (University of Hawai'i Press, 1996); One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each, by Peter MacMIllan (Penguin Classics); 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); Chishiki Zero kara no Hyakunin Isshu, by Ariyoshi Tamotsu (Gentosha); Hyakunin Isshu Kaibo Zukan, by Tani Tomoko (X-Knowledge); 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: Wikipedia
Hyakunin Isshu Index