Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
かさゝぎの
Ōtomo no Yakamochi · 中納言家持
かさゝぎの
渡せる橋に
おく霜の
しろきを見れば
夜ぞふけにける
Historical kana
かさゝぎの
わたせるはしに
おくしもの
しろきをみれば
よぞふけにける
Original English translation
On the bridge the magpies have spanned, frost lies white; seeing it, I know the night has grown late.
History and context
Traditionally attributed to Yakamochi, a poet closely connected with the Man’yōshū. The magpie bridge evokes the East Asian tale of the separated celestial lovers, also associated with Tanabata.
Imagery and wordplay
The mythical bridge and a frosty earthly bridge overlap. Whiteness lets the speaker recognise deep night.
Shinkokinshū · 新古今集冬620
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.