Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
有馬山
Daini no Sanmi · 大貮三位
有馬山
ゐなのささ原
風吹けば
いでそよ人を
忘れやはする
Historical kana
ありまやま
ゐなのささはら
かぜふけば
いでそよひとを
わすれやはする
Original English translation
When wind blows through Ina’s bamboo fields by Mount Arima—yes, that is it: how could I ever forget you?
History and context
Daini no Sanmi was Murasaki Shikibu’s daughter and a court poet in her own right. This Goshuishū love poem replies to doubt with an emphatic assertion of continued remembrance.
Imagery and wordplay
Soyo evokes the bamboo’s rustle and “that is so”. Sound becomes the hinge of the answer.
Goshuishū · 後拾遺集恋二709
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.