Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
今来むと
Sosei Hōshi · 素性法師
今来むと
いひしばかりに
長月の
有明の月を
待ち出でつるかな
Historical kana
いまこむと
いひしばかりに
ながつきの
ありあけのつきを
まちいでつるかな
Original English translation
Only because you said “I will come soon”, I waited through the long ninth-month night until the dawn moon appeared.
History and context
Sosei, a Buddhist monk and the son of Henjō, wrote within the court poetry tradition. A monastic author can create a lover’s voice; the speaker should not automatically be equated with the poet.
Imagery and wordplay
The promised arrival never appears. The lingering dawn moon measures how long the waiting has lasted.
Kokinshū · 古今集恋四691
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.