Page:Anthology of Japanese Literature.pdf/200

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196 KAMAKURA PERIOD
· ·

Miwataseba
Hana mo momiji mo
Nakarikeri
Ura no tomaya no
Aki no yūgure

In this wide landscape
I see no cherry blossoms
And no crimson leaves—[1]
Evening in autumn over
A straw-thatched hut by the bay.

Fujiwara no Teika

· ·

Furuhata no
Soba no tatsu ki ni
Iru hato no
Tomo yobu koe no
Sugoki yūgure

In a tree standing
Beside a desolate field,
The voice of a dove
Calling to its companions—
Lonely, terrible evening.

Saigyō

· ·

Toshi takete
Mata koyubeshi to
Omoiki ya
Inochi narikeri
Sayo no Nakayama

Did I ever dream
I should pass this way again
As an old man?
I have lived such a long time—
Nakayama of the Night.[2]

Saigyō

· ·

Haruka naru
Iwa no hazama ni
Hitori ite
Hito me omowade
Mono omowabaya

Living all alone
In this space between the rocks
Far from the city,
Here, where no one can see me,
I shall give myself to grief.

Saigyō
TRANSLATED BY DONALD KEENE

  1. ↑ Cherry blossoms and crimson leaves were the conventionally admired natural objects of spring and autumn respectively.
  2. ↑ A place name famous in poetry; such common place names as Nakayama were often identified as here by some descriptive term. See also page 249.
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