Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
天つ風
Henjō · 僧正遍昭
天つ風
雲のかよひぢ
吹きとぢよ
をとめの姿
しばし留めむ
Historical kana
あまつかぜ
くものかよひぢ
ふきとぢよ
をとめのすがた
しばしとどめむ
Original English translation
Wind of heaven, blow shut the clouds’ passageway; let these maidens’ figures remain a little longer.
History and context
Henjō served at court before becoming a Buddhist monk. The Kokinshū headnote connects this poem with the Gosechi dance, a court performance whose dancers are imagined as celestial beings.
Imagery and wordplay
Clouds become a route back to heaven. The request is an imaginative wish to prolong a fleeting performance.
Kokinshū · 古今集雑上872
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.