Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
山里は
Minamoto no Muneyuki · 源宗行朝臣
山里は
冬ぞ寂しさ
まさりける
人目も草も
かれぬと思へば
Historical kana
やまざとは
ふゆぞさびしさ
まさりける
ひとめもくさも
かれぬとおもへば
Original English translation
In a mountain village, winter makes loneliness greater: the grass has withered, and human visits have ceased.
History and context
Muneyuki’s winter poem brings seasonal change and social absence together. The mountain village is a familiar poetic setting for remoteness, without requiring a specific identifiable household.
Imagery and wordplay
Kare can suggest withering and separation. Both plants and visitors seem to withdraw from the village.
Kokinshū · 古今集冬315
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.