Hyakunin Isshu Oracle

No.62 清少納言「夜をこめて 鳥の空音は 謀るとも よに逢坂の 関は許さじ」

夜をこめて 鳥の空音は 謀るとも よに逢坂の 関は許さじ

清少納言

crow like a rooster if you like — this gate does not open

crow like a rooster if you like — this gate does not open

キーワードKeywords

Fake Rooster CallRefusalBorder GateWit DuelNever
★★ Miscellaneous

清少納言Sei Shōnagon — No. 62 女房・姫Court Lady

Author of the Pillow Book, who served Empress Teishi and recorded the court with a sharp, comic eye.

よをこめて とりのそらねは はかるとも よにあふさかの せきはゆるさじ

Yo o komete Tori no sorane wa Hakaru tomo Yo ni Ōsaka no Seki wa yuruzaji

現代語訳Modern Japanese

コンセプトConcept

情景The Scene

He has tried the old trick from the histories — imitate a rooster and the gatekeeper opens up before dawn. She acknowledges the reference, compliments the attempt, and refuses: this gate does not open.

日本の美意識Japanese Aesthetic

Honkadori (Building on an Origin Song)

The refusal only works because both sides know the source story. Shared references let you answer in one line what would otherwise take a paragraph — and the answer flatters the listener while denying them.