98. The Official Iye-Taka: Jūnii Iye-taka
98
THE OFFICIAL IYE-TAKA
JŪNII IYE-TAKA
Kaze soyogu
Nara no ogawa no
Yūgure wa
Misogi zo natsu no
Shirushi nari keri.
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.