Hyakunin Isshu Oracle

No.31 坂上是則「朝ぼらけ 有明の月と 見るまでに 吉野の里に 降れる白雪」

朝ぼらけ 有明の月と 見るまでに 吉野の里に 降れる白雪

坂上是則

I thought it was the moon — it was snow, lighting from below

I thought it was the moon — it was snow, lighting from below

キーワードKeywords

DaybreakSnowfieldMoonlight MistakenYoshinoCold Glow
Nature/Seasons Winter

坂上是則Sakanoue no Korenori — No. 31 官人Official

An official said to descend from the general Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, at his best in clear scenes of snow and moonlight.

あさぼらけ ありあけのつきと みるまでに よしののさとに ふれるしらゆき

Asaborake Ariake no tsuki to Miru made ni Yoshino no sato ni Fureru shirayuki

現代語訳Modern Japanese

コンセプトConcept

情景The Scene

First grey light over a mountain village. The ground glows so evenly that for a moment he takes it for late moonlight — then understands it is snow, lying everywhere, doing the moon’s job from below.

日本の美意識Japanese Aesthetic

Mitate (Creative Misreading)

A deliberate mistake about the light source tells you more about the light than a correct description would. Record the error your senses made; it carries the quality of the moment.