Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
此の度は
Sugawara no Michizane · 菅家
此の度は
幣もとりあへず
手向山
紅葉の錦
神のまにまに
Historical kana
このたびは
ぬさもとりあへず
たむけやま
もみぢのにしき
かみのまにまに
Original English translation
On this journey I could not prepare an offering; let the brocade of Mount Tamuke’s autumn leaves be as the gods desire.
History and context
Michizane was a scholar, statesman and poet, named here as Kanke. The Kokinshū headnote associates the poem with an imperial excursion, rather than his later exile to Dazaifu.
Imagery and wordplay
Tabi suggests journey and occasion. Autumn foliage becomes a substitute for the ritual strips offered to the gods.
Kokinshū · 古今集羇旅420
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.