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A Hundred Verses from Old Japan (The Hyakunin-isshu), tr. by William N. Porter, [1909], at sacred-texts.com


p. 98

98

THE OFFICIAL IYE-TAKA

JŪNII IYE-TAKA

  Kaze soyogu
Nara no ogawa no
  Yūgure wa
Misogi zo natsu no
Shirushi nari keri.

THE twilight dim, the gentle breeze
  By Nara's little stream,
The splash of worshippers who wash
  Before the shrine, all seem
  A perfect summer's dream.

Iye-taka was another of the great Fujiwara family; he died in the year 1237.

The word misogi means the Shinto ceremony of purifying the body before worship by washing or sprinkling with water. This verse is said to have been inscribed on a screen in the apartments of the Empress at Nara.


Next: 99. The Retired Emperor Gotoba: Gotoba no In