Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
夜をこめて
Sei Shōnagon · 清少納言
夜をこめて
鳥のそら音は
はかるとも
世に逢坂の
関はゆるさじ
Historical kana
よをこめて
とりのそらねは
はかるとも
よにあふさかの
せきはゆるさじ
Original English translation
Though you trick us with a false cockcrow in the dark, the barrier of Meeting Hill will never open for you.
History and context
Sei Shōnagon wrote The Pillow Book. This exchange with Fujiwara no Yukinari alludes to the Chinese story of Mengchang escaping a barrier through an imitation cockcrow.
Imagery and wordplay
The historical barrier becomes a boundary in a witty personal exchange. A clever trick will not obtain access.
Goshuishū · 後拾遺集雑二940
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.