Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
筑波嶺の
Retired Emperor Yōzei · 陽成院
筑波嶺の
峯より落つる
みなの川
戀ぞつもりて
淵となりぬる
Historical kana
つくばねの
みねよりおつる
みなのがは
こひぞつもりて
ふちとなりぬる
Original English translation
The Minano River falls from Mount Tsukuba’s peaks; so my love has gathered until it is a deep pool.
History and context
Yōzei’s poem appears in the Gosen collection’s love sequence. Tsukuba’s two peaks and descending river offer an established landscape through which growing feeling can be expressed.
Imagery and wordplay
Small streams gather into depth. Love accumulates instead of appearing all at once.
Gosenshū · 後撰集恋三776
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.