Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
廻り逢ひて
Murasaki Shikibu · 紫式部
廻り逢ひて
見しやそれとも
わかぬまに
雲がくれにし
夜半の月かな
Historical kana
めぐりあひて
みしやそれとも
わかぬまに
くもがくれにし
よはのつきかな
Original English translation
We met again, but before I could be sure it was you, you vanished behind clouds like the midnight moon.
History and context
Murasaki Shikibu wrote The Tale of Genji. The Shinkokinshū headnote associates this poem with a brief reunion with a childhood friend; it should not automatically be read as a romantic encounter.
Imagery and wordplay
Recognition arrives too slowly. A clouded moon gives a visual form to a meeting cut short.
Shinkokinshū · 新古今集雑上1497
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.