Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
かくとだに
Fujiwara no Sanekata · 藤原実方朝臣
かくとだに
えやはいぶきの
さしも草
さしも知らじな
もゆる思ひを
Historical kana
かくとだに
えやはいぶきの
さしもぐさ
さしもしらじな
もゆるおもひを
Original English translation
I cannot even tell you this much; like Ibuki’s moxa grass, my feelings burn, and you cannot know how much.
History and context
Sanekata’s poem uses Ibuki, a poetic place associated with moxa plants. Burning dried mugwort in medical treatment supplies the image for a feeling the speaker cannot openly declare.
Imagery and wordplay
Ibuki suggests speech, while sashimo intensifies the unspoken degree of love. The herb makes inward heat visible.
Goshuishū · 後拾遺集恋一612
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.