Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
嵐ふく
Nōin Hōshi · 能因法師
嵐ふく
三室の山の
もみぢ葉は
龍田の川の
錦なりけり
Historical kana
あらしふく
みむろのやまの
もみぢばは
たつたのかはの
にしきなりけり
Original English translation
Storm winds blow the autumn leaves from Mount Mimuro; they become the Tatsuta River’s brocade.
History and context
Nōin was a monk-poet associated with travel and celebrated poetic places. Mimuro and Tatsuta link a mountain landscape to a river already rich in autumn associations.
Imagery and wordplay
The poem follows leaves from branch to water. Brocade is made by weather rather than a human weaver.
Goshuishū · 後拾遺集秋下366
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.