Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
有明の
Mibu no Tadamine · 壬生忠岑
有明の
つれなく見えし
別れより
暁ばかり
憂きものはなし
Historical kana
ありあけの
つれなくみえし
わかれより
あかつきばかり
うきものはなし
Original English translation
Since that parting, when the dawn moon looked so indifferent, nothing has seemed as painful as daybreak.
History and context
Tadamine helped compile the Kokinshū. In court love poetry, dawn often meant a visitor’s departure, so an ordinary time of day could acquire a lasting emotional charge.
Imagery and wordplay
Tsurenaku gives the moon the beloved’s apparent indifference. Later dawns recall a single farewell.
Kokinshū · 古今集恋三625
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.