Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
風そよぐ
Fujiwara no Ietaka · 従二位家隆
風そよぐ
楢の小川の
夕ぐれは
みそぎぞ夏の
しるしなりける
Historical kana
かぜそよぐ
ならのをがはの
ゆふぐれは
みそぎぞなつの
しるしなりける
Original English translation
At dusk, wind rustles by Nara’s little stream; only the purification rite reveals that it is still summer.
History and context
Ietaka was a leading poet of the Shinkokinshū circle. The stream is associated with the Kamo shrine landscape, rather than necessarily the city of Nara; summer purification gives the poem its ritual setting.
Imagery and wordplay
The cool wind feels autumnal. Misogi, ritual purification, supplies the one unmistakable summer sign.
Shinchokusenshū · 新勅撰集夏192
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.