Hyakunin Isshu: Meet the Poets
Akazome Emon

Meaning

I waited and waited without sleep, watching the moon sink slowly toward the horizon in the deepening night. How I regret it.

Commentary

The speaker waited all night for a lover who never came. The "tilting moon" (katabuku made no tsuki) marks the long passage of time through the dark. The opening wish — "if only I had just slept" — mixes hurt and self-reproach in equal measure, making it one of the most humanly direct poems in the anthology.

Akazome Emon was a refined court lady who served Empress Shōshi. She is credited with contributions to the historical tale Eiga Monogatari (Tale of Flowering Fortunes). Her poetry was praised for its classical elegance and emotional clarity — qualities evident in this restrained but poignant poem.

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