Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
嘆けとて
Saigyō Hōshi · 西行法師
嘆けとて
月やはものを
思はする
かこち顔なる
わが涙かな
Historical kana
なげけとて
つきやはものを
おもはする
かこちがほなる
わがなみだかな
Original English translation
Does the moon tell me to lament and make me brood? No—my tears only wear the look of blaming it.
History and context
Saigyō left a military court career for religious life and became a major waka poet. This Senzaishū love poem reflects on the tendency to assign inner sorrow to a beautiful external object.
Imagery and wordplay
The question withdraws its own accusation. The moon remains innocent while tears reveal the speaker’s projection.
Senzaishū · 千載集恋五926
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.