My Translation

By Lady Murasaki Shikibu (~ 973-1014)

A chance encounter,
Seeing a vanished friend—
Or was it?
The cloud-covered
Midnight moon


Original Japanese
Pronunciation


紫式部
Murasaki Shikibu


めぐりあひて
Meguri aite
見しやそれとも
Mishi ya sore to mo
わかぬ間に
Wakanu ma ni
雲がくれにし
Kumo-gakure ni shi
夜半の月かげ
Yowa no tsuki kage


Literal Notes

[Around /concerning/pass a time] [companion/partner/lose interest/tire of]
[See have] [or/or else/either... or.../if it were/that friend]
Understand [not time-period/so or not]
[Disappear/vanish/go away]
[Midnight/middle-of-night] ’s moon light
                  
Lady Murasaki Shikibu is the author of the classic story, Tale of Genji. The note to the poem says it was written after seeing a childhood friend at night.

“Sore to mo” as “soretomo” can be read as “or” or “if it were,” but if “sore tomo,” it means “that friend.”  Although the most common meaning of “meguri aite” would be something like “we met,” “around when we met,” or “we met by chance,” individually, the words could mean “passing time” and “losing interest.” Some sources have the last word as “kana,” an exclamation, instead of “kage,” meaning light or shadow.

Year: 
2012