英語の勉強がてら、古典和歌や俳句を英語に訳しています。

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• ご感想もお待ちしております。
• noteマガジン『令和新撰百人一首』で最新作を更新しております。

 

 I study English by translating Waka(Japanese short poem) into English. 

見ずもあらず見もせぬ人の恋しくはあやなく今日や眺め暮らさむ（在原業平、古今和歌集）

I wonder if I saw you or not. But I miss you so much that I will spend today thinking of you.

by Ariwarano Narihira

 

我が宿はそことも何か教ふべき言はでこそ見め尋ねけりやと（本院侍従、新古今和歌集）

I won't show you where I live, for I'm going to watch you asking for my address.

by Hon'innojiju

 

ふりさけて三日月見れば一目見し人の眉引き思ほゆるかも(大伴家持、万葉集)

Although I have met you only once, in seeing the crescent moon, I cannot help remembering your eye brow.

by Otomo no Yakamochi

 

たまさかに我が見し人をいかならむ由を持ちてかまた一目見む （柿本人麻呂集、万葉集）

I happened to witness you for an instant. What a miracle if I could see you again! I tend to wait for the moment while giving up hope.

by Kakinomoto Hitomaro(?)

 

百年（ももとせ）に 老い舌出でてよよむとも 我は厭はじ恋は増すとも（大伴家持、万葉集）

Even If you were to behave badly at 100 years old, I wouldn't be disgusted.

I promise to love you all the more for your aging.

by Otomo no Yakamochi

 

世の中はかくこそありけれ吹く風の目に見ぬ人も恋しかりけり（紀貫之、古今和歌集）

This is the way the world goes. I've never seen you as if I've never seen the wind, but I miss you so much.

by Ki no Tsurayuki

 

降る雪の空に消えぬべく恋ふれども逢ふ由なしに月ぞ経にける （柿本人麻呂歌集、万葉集）

I really love and miss you. Owing to painful longing, l'm about to disappear just like snow fading away in the sky. To my regret, several months have passed without seeing you.

by Kakinomoto Hitomaro(?)

 

涙川なに水上を尋ねけむ 物思ふ時の我が身なりけり（読人しらず、古今和歌集）

Why did I try to trace the tears' river to the source? Now I know, but at that time, I had never been aware of an endless flood of my tears.

author not known

 

思ふには忍ぶることぞ負けにける 色にはいでじと思ひしものを（読人しらず、古今和歌集）

Loving you is stronger than controlling myself. I decided not to reveal my feelings, but……

author not known

 

我が如く我を思はむ人もがな さてもや憂きと　世をこころみむ（凡河内躬恒、古今和歌集）

I wish I had the sweetheart loving me as much as I love myself. Then I would like to know whether I would feel sad in spite of such a precious girl or not.

by Oshikochi Mitsune

 

新しき年の初めの初春の今日降る雪のいやしけ吉事(よごと)（大伴家持、万葉集）

It's the first day of this year. Like today's snow falling more and more, may we have more and more happy things!

by Otomo no Yakamochi

 

雪の内に春は来にけり 鶯の凍れる涙 今やとくらむ（二条后・藤原高子、古今和歌集)

Spring has come while snow remained. Today's warm wind will melt the ice of warblers' tears.

by Fujiwara no Takaiko

 

袖ひちて掬(むす)びし水の凍れるを春立つ今日の風やとくらむ（紀貫之、古今和歌集） 

Last summer I scooped up water, which is frozen over during this winter. Today's spring wind will melt the ice.

by Ki no Tsurayuki

 

春立てば花とや見らむ白雪のかかれる枝に鶯ぞ鳴く（素性法師、古今和歌集）

Spring has come, so the snow on the branches may seem the flowers of plum blossoms. Dear me! The song of a bush warbler.

by Sosei Hoshi

夕されば衣手さむし み吉野の吉野の山にみ雪ふるらし（読人しらず、古今和歌集）

Towards evening, coldness is piercing my sleeve. In Mt.Yoshino far away, it is maybe snowing.

author not known

 

鵲の渡せる橋に置く霜の白きを見れば夜ぞ更けにける （大伴家持、新古今和歌集・百人一首)

The steps of the imperial court remind me of the magpie bridge over the Milky Way on July 7th. Tonight there is frost on the steps. The whiteness showed me that the night has already advanced.

by Otomo no Yakamochi

 

我が背子と二人見ませばいくばくかこの降る雪のうれしくあらまし（光明皇后、万葉集）

If I saw today's snow with my darling, how delightful it would be.

by Empress Komyo

 

我が宿は雪降りしきて道も無し 踏み分けて訪(と)ふ人しなければ（読人しらず、古今和歌集）

The path to my house is fully covered with snow.

That's because it has been snowing and no one visits me for a long time.

author not known

 

大空の月の光し清ければ影見し水ぞまづこほりける（読人しらず、古今和歌集）

There is the moon shining awfully clearly. So the pond water seeing it begins to freeze first.

author not known

 

今よりは継ぎて降らなむ我が宿の薄(すすき)押しなみ降れる白雪（読人しらず、古今和歌集）

I wish snow to continue falling from now on. In my garden, silver grass is curved by a blanket of snow.

author not known

 

あらたまの年の終りになるごとに雪も我が身もふりまさりつつ（在原元方、古今和歌集）

At the end of the year, it snows harder while I grow older.

by Ariwara no Motokata

 

庭の雪にわが跡つけて出でつるを訪はれにけりと人や見るらむ（慈円、新古今和歌集）

Although I left footprints on the snow in my garden by myself, my neighbors will think that someone visited me.

by Jien

 

雪降れば冬ごもりせる草も木も春に知られぬ花ぞ咲きける(紀貫之、古今和歌集）

When it snows, grass and trees in the winter sleep seem to bloom. These flowers are only seen in winter, not in spring.

by Kino Tsurayuki

 

隔てゆく世々の面影かきくらし雪とふりぬる年の暮れかな（皇太后宮大夫俊成女、新古今和歌集）

At the end of year, it snows as if snow hid memories of this year.

by Toshinari no musume(Shunzei's daughter)

 

年の明けて憂き世の夢の覚むべくは暮るとも今日は厭はざらまし（慈円、新古今和歌集） 

If I could get out of this bad dream in a new year, I wouldn't feel sad with today's passing.

by Jien

 

淡路島かよふ千鳥の鳴く声に幾夜ねざめぬ須磨の関守（源兼昌、金葉集・百人一首）

The barrier-keeper in Suma must have woken up every night at the sound of the sandbirds flying to and from Awaji's isle.

by Minamoto no Kanemasa

 

さびしさに堪へたる人のまたもあれな庵ならべむ冬の山里（西行、新古今和歌集）

I wish there were a person feeling lonely like me. In such a deserted mountain village, how about living nearby?

by Saigyo

 

沫雪のほどろほどろに降りしけば奈良の都し思ほゆるかも（大伴旅人、万葉集）

In seeing a light snowfall, I remember the capital of Nara.

by Otomo no Tabito

 

駒とめて袖うちはらふかげもなし佐野のわたりの雪の夕暮れ（藤原定家、新古今和歌集）

At snowy dusk around Sano, there is no bower where I can brush the snow from the sleeve. 

by Fujiwara no Teika

 

山里は冬ぞさびしさまさりける人目も草もかれぬ(枯れぬ/離れぬ)と思へば（源宗于朝臣、古今和歌集・百人一首）

I live in a thatched hut beside mountains. In winter, I feel lonelier than in any other season. After all, nobody comes and no grass grows here.

by Minamoto no Muneyuki

 

朝ぼらけ有明の月と見しまでに吉野の里に触れる白雪（坂上是則、古今和歌集・百人一首）

At dawn, the snow covering over the

country of Yoshino glittered so much that I looked on the brightness as the morning moon.

by Sakanoue no Korenori

 

志賀の浦や遠ざかりゆく波間より凍りて出づる有明の月（藤原家隆、新古今和歌集）

Seen from Shiganoura, the shore of Biwa Lake, the morning moon is rising as if it were freezed by receding waves.

by Fujiwara no Ietaka

 

月を待つ高嶺の雲は晴れにけり心あるべき初時雨かな（西行、新古今和歌集）

Waiting for the moon, at that precise moment I got blessed with fine weather. Grateful to the first early winter shower. Thanks to its emotionality, the sky has become clear.

by Saigyo

うつくしや年暮きりし夜の空（小林一茶）

How magnificent the night sky is! This year is about to go.

by Issa Kobayashi

 

去年今年貫く棒の如きもの（高浜虚子）

Last year and this year are united as if they were pierced by a rod.

by Takahama Kyoshi

 

日本がここに集まる初詣（山口誓子）

It seems that all Japanese people come together to pay their first visit of the year to this shrine.

by Yamaguchi Seishi

 

草の戸に賀状ちらほら目出度さよ 高浜虚子

A small number of New Year’s cards reached even my grass hut. How joyous the New Year is!

by Takahama Kyoshi