Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
春過ぎて
Empress Jitō · 持統天皇
春過ぎて
夏来にけらし
白妙の
衣ほすてふ
天の香具山
Historical kana
はるすぎて
なつきにけらし
しろたへの
ころもほすてふ
あまのかぐやま
Original English translation
Spring has passed and summer seems to have arrived: white robes are being aired on heavenly Mount Kagu.
History and context
Mount Kagu belongs to the landscape of ancient Yamato. The anthology preserves a version of a poem also known from the Man’yōshū, illustrating how classical poems circulated in differing forms.
Imagery and wordplay
White cloth marks the season’s change. The reported phrase “they say” places the scene at a slight distance.
Shinkokinshū · 新古今集夏175
Japanese text and historical kana follow the linked Wikisource transcription. Classical poems can have variant spellings and wording in different anthologies. The source anthology reference identifies the version represented in this collection, not necessarily its earliest surviving text. English prose translations and reading notes are original interpretations; some wordplay permits more than one reading.