俊恵法師しゅんえほうし

夜よもすがら
物もの思おもふうころは
明あけやらで
閨ねやのひまさへえ
つれなかりけり

ねやのひま
さへつれな
かりけり

よも

Poem 85: 夜よもすがら物もの思おもふうころは明あけやらで
閨ねやのひまさへえつれなかりけり
Author: Priest Shun'e (1113–c. 1191)
Source: Senzai Wakashū, Love

English Verse Translation: All through the never-ending night I lie awake and think; In vain I look to try and see The daybreak's feeble blink Peep through the shutter's chink.
— William N. Porter, 1909

Modern Translation: All through the night, lost in thought, the dawn will not come. Even the crack of light through the bedroom door seems cold and distant.

Commentary: Written on the theme "love." Shun'e speaks as a woman waiting, worn out, through an endless dark night, troubled by thoughts of her cold lover.

About the Poet: Shun'e lost his father, Minamoto no Toshiyori, at 17 and became a monk at Tōdai-ji. He later moved to Shirakawa in Kyoto, called his lodging Karin'en (Poetry Grove), and held many gatherings there, joined by many Hyakunin Isshu poets. His student Kamo no Chōmei, author of the Hōjōki, wrote down many of his teachings.

Poem Illustration: This image is based on an illustration from William N. Porter's A Hundred Verses from Old Japan, his 1909 English translation of the Hyakunin Isshu published in England, colorized and reworked using Adobe Firefly (generative AI).

Priest Shun'e: A Short Timeline

1113: Born as a son of Minamoto no Toshiyori
c. 1130: His father Toshiyori dies
c. 1150: Names his temple lodging in Shirakawa "Karin'en" (Garden of Poetry), where poets gather
c. 1191: Dies

Priest Shun'e's Family Tree

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Priest Shun'e was a descendant of the Uda Genji, the Minamoto line founded by Emperor Uda.

His grandfather was Minamoto no Tsunenobu, and his father was Minamoto no Toshiyori.
Three generations were chosen for the Hyakunin Isshu.

Shun'e lost his father at 17 and became a monk at Tōdai-ji, a temple famous for its Great Buddha.

Appendix

Poets Who Joined the Karin'en

Priest Shun'e held a poetry gathering every month at the Karin'en, his lodging, and many poets took part.

Links: Word Order Puzzle Daruma-otoshi Relationship Diagram Competitive Karuta Game Online Karuta Battle