Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
嘆きつつ
The mother of Fujiwara no Michitsuna · 右大将道綱母
嘆きつつ
獨りぬる夜の
明くるまは
いかに久しき
ものとかは知る
Historical kana
なげきつつ
ひとりぬるよの
あくるまは
いかにひさしき
ものとかはしる
Original English translation
Do you know how long it takes for dawn to come through a night spent sighing and sleeping alone?
History and context
The poet is also the author of the Kagerō Diary. Her literary name identifies her through her son, reflecting how women’s personal names were often not preserved in the court record.
Imagery and wordplay
A question asks the absent person to imagine time from the lonely speaker’s position.
Shūishū · 拾遺集恋四912
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.