Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
住の江の
Fujiwara no Toshiyuki · 藤原敏行朝臣
住の江の
岸に寄る浪
よるさへや
夢の通ひ路
人目よくらむ
Historical kana
すみのえの
きしによるなみ
よるさへや
ゆめのかよひぢ
ひとめよくらむ
Original English translation
Waves come to Suminoe’s shore; even at night, along the road of dreams, do you avoid other people’s eyes?
History and context
Court love poetry often imagined dreams as a place where separated lovers could meet. Toshiyuki’s poem asks why even that private route seems subject to the rules of public discretion.
Imagery and wordplay
Yoru links waves approaching the shore to night. The dream journey repeats the difficulties of waking life.
Kokinshū · 古今集恋二559
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.