Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
朝ぼらけ
Sakanoue no Korenori · 坂上是則
朝ぼらけ
有明の月と
見るまでに
吉野の里に
降れる白雪
Historical kana
あさぼらけ
ありあけのつきと
みるまでに
よしののさとに
ふれるしらゆき
Original English translation
At daybreak in Yoshino village, the fallen white snow shines so brightly I take it for the lingering moon.
History and context
Yoshino was a celebrated poetic place for snow as well as blossom. Korenori’s Kokinshū poem depends on the dim light just before morning makes the landscape fully recognisable.
Imagery and wordplay
Moonlight and snow are briefly confused. The correction reveals how brilliantly the snow lights the village.
Kokinshū · 古今集冬332
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.