Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
天の原
Abe no Nakamaro · 阿倍仲麻呂
天の原
ふりさけ見れば
春日なる
みかさの山に
出でし月かも
Historical kana
あまのはら
ふりさけみれば
かすがなる
みかさのやまに
いでしつきかも
Original English translation
Across the wide sky I lift my gaze: is this the moon that rose over Mount Mikasa at Kasuga?
History and context
Nakamaro travelled to Tang China. The Kokinshū headnote places this poem at a farewell gathering abroad; the remembered moon links the distant speaker with the landscape of home.
Imagery and wordplay
The same moon bridges two places. The question ending makes recognition feel tender and uncertain.
Kokinshū · 古今集羇旅406
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.