Hyakunin Isshu Oracle

No.59 赤染衛門「やすらはで 寝なましものを 小夜更けて かたぶくまでの 月を見しかな」

やすらはで 寝なましものを 小夜更けて かたぶくまでの 月を見しかな

赤染衛門

I should have slept — I watched the moon go down instead

I should have slept — I watched the moon go down instead

キーワードKeywords

Should Have SleptSetting MoonWasted VigilRegretLate Night
Love

赤染衛門Akazome Emon — No. 59 女房・姫Court Lady

A lady-in-waiting of Izumi Shikibu’s generation, known for a clear and disciplined style.

やすらはで ねなましものを さよふけて かたぶくまでの つきをみしかな

Yasurawade Nenamashi mono o Sayo fukete Katabuku made no Tsuki o mishi kana

現代語訳Modern Japanese

コンセプトConcept

情景The Scene

She should have gone to bed and not thought about it. Instead she watched the moon all the way over to the far side of the sky, which is how she knows exactly how much of the night she gave to this.

日本の美意識Japanese Aesthetic

Ma (Duration Held Open)

Regret is quantified by the arc of a moon. Give the audience an external clock — a shadow, a tide, a fading light — and they will feel the length without being told it.