UVa Library Etext Center: Japanese Text Initiative

天文【てんもん】 tenmon The Heavens

秋の声【あきのこえ】 aki no koe （あきのこゑ）, voices of autumn [particularly at night: wind in trees, plants; patter of leaves, rain; insect cries; and so on] (all autumn)

秋声【しゅうせい】 shūsei autumnal voices
秋韻【しゅういん】 shūin autumnal tone [musical sense]

In older poetic traditions the sounds of the wind or of "fulling blocks" (砧【きぬた】 kinuta) were preferred images for this topic, but the reverberations of all sounds seem to be enhanced by the crisp, still air of autumn, and the topic takes that enhanced sense as a sign of autumn's arrival. Perhaps because the air is clear, even distant sounds become audible, and these may remind the listener of the approaching end of the year. This is true particularly at night, with wind in trees, plants; patter of leaves, rain; insect cries; and so on.

灯を消して夜を深うしぬ秋の声

村上鬼城

hi o keshite yo o fukoushinu aki no koe

I snuff out the lamp
and night has deepened--
voices of autumn

Murakami Kijō

寺掃けば日に日にふかし秋の声

中川宋淵

tera hakeba hi ni hi ni fukashi aki no koe

sweeping the temple--
day by day deeper
voices of autumn

Nakagawa Sōen

秋声は何れの窓に多からむ

相生垣瓜人

shūsei wa izure no mado ni ōkaramu

autumnal voices
in which of the windows
are there more? 

Aioi Gakikajin

草の穂のゆるるともなし秋の声

村上牧秋子

kusa no ho no yururu mo nashi aki no koe

the ripe grasses
are not even swayed--
voices of autumn

Murakami Bosshūshi

大瀑布ひとすぢ秋の声を添ふ

篠田悌二郎

daibakufu hitosuji aki no koe o sou

a great waterfall
its steady roar joined
by autumn's voices

Shinoda Teijirō

Surrounded by the roaring sound of a great waterfall, even so he heard the sounds of autumn. In the roaring sound of a waterfall that never lets up, when autumn came he could still discern its accompanying voices.

秋高し【あきたかし】 aki takashi autumn (is) spacious [of the skies; literally "autumn is high", but referring to skies, not equal to the English idiom "high autumn"] (all autumn)

天高し【てんたかし】 ten takashi skies (are) spacious / spacious skies [literally "heavens are high"]

鰯雲【いわしぐも】 iwashigumo mackerel clouds / cirro-cumulus [literally "sardine clouds"] (all autumn)

鱗雲【うろこぐも】 urokogumo fish-scale clouds
鯖雲【さばぐも】 sabagumo mackerel clouds [literal]

When small slivers of these clouds form their characteristic spotted patterns in pale-blue skies, many are inspired to think autumn has indeed arrived. Their shape suggests wavelets or the pattern of scales on a fish, especially a mackerel. When such clouds appear it is the season for large catches of sardines, hence the name "sardine clouds". Technically, such clouds are usually cirro-cumulus, but similar patterns may be seen among alto-cumulus clouds, and the distinction is not firm.

朝戸繰るこちらのかはも鰯雲

中村草田男

asato kuru kochira no kawa mo iwashigumo

I open the morning door
here on this side too
mackerel clouds 

Nakamura Kusatao

鰯雲旅を忘れしにはあらず

橋本多佳子

iwashigumo tabi o wasureshi ni wa arazu

mackerel clouds--
not that I've forgotten
my journey

Hashimoto Takako

妻たちの旅はじめてのいわし雲

和知喜八

tsumatachi no tabi hajimete no iwashigumo

the wives
off on a trip--their first
mackerel clouds 

Wachi Kihachi

ボート来て崩るる影や鰯雲

飯田和子

bōto kite kuzururu kageya iwashigumo

a boat comes
and shatters the reflection . . .
mackerel clouds

Iida Kazuko

教室は教師の砦いわし雲

樋笠文

kyōshitsu wa kyōshi no toride iwashigumo

the classroom
a teacher's fortress--
mackerel clouds 

Hikasa Fumi

鰯雲日かげは水の音迅く

飯田龍太

iwashigumo hikage wa mizu no oto hayaku

the mackerel clouds'
shadows--water's sound
quick

Iida Ryūta

A scene in a mountain village. Shadows of the sun lengthen as autumn deepens, and the air begins to get chilly. With autumn's arrival, water stored up is allowed to run off. The speeding water, under the spreading mackerel clouds, suggests the advance of the seasons.

月【つき】 tsuki moon (all autumn)

秋の月【あきのつき】 aki no tsuki autumn moon
夕月【ゆうづき】 yūzuki evening moon
宵月【よいづき】 yoizuki evening moon
弦月【げんげつ】 gengetsu half/quarter moon [literally "bow-string moon", i.e. a moon shaped like a strung bow with its string]
弓張月【ゆみはりづき】 yumiharizuki half/quarter moon [literally "bow-stretched moon"]
初月【はつづき】 first (visible) moon [of the eighth lunar month, approximately September]
二日月【ふつかづき】 futsukazuki second-day moon / second-day crescent [of the eighth lunar month]
三日月【みかづき】 mikazuki（みっかづき）, third-day moon / crescent moon [of the eighth lunar month]
新月【しんげつ】 shingetsu new moon / new crescent moon ["new moon" in its astronomical sense, i.e., "no moon", is a modern development, and shingetsu is sometimes used in this sense in modern haiku; however, "new crescent moon" is probably the most common understanding, referring to the first appearance of the moon in the eighth lunar month.]

Since ancient times, the natural phenomena favored above all by Japanese poets have been the triplet "snow, moon, blossoms" (that is, cherry blossoms). The moon appears in all four seasons, of course, but in both classical poetry and haikai it has been firmly associated with autumn, so that unless otherwise specified, "the moon" means the autumn moon. One reason for this is that as blossoms is the pre-eminent image of spring and snow is that of winter, the moon came to connote autumn. No less important a reason, surely, is that the moon seems to shine with a special clarity in the months of autumn. Many haikai expressions for varied aspects of the moon have become topics for this season. In particular, from the beginning of the eighth lunar month (mid autumn; about September), we have special names for the first several nights' moons.

月はやしこずゑ雨を持ちながら

芭蕉

tsuki hayashi kozue ame o mochinagara

the moon goes quickly
while the grove's branchtips
hold the rain

Bashō

声かれて猿の歯白し峰の月

其角

koe karete saru no ha shiroshi mine no tsuki

its voice hoarse
a monkey's teeth are white--
moon on the peak

Kikaku

月天心貧しき町を通りけり

蕪村

tsuki tenshin mazushiki machi o tōrikeri

the moon at zenith
I passed on through
a poor town 

Buson

月光にいのち死にゆくひとゝ寝る

橋本多佳子

gekkō ni inochi shi ni yuku hito to neru

in the moonlight
I sleep with one who goes
from life into death 

Hashimoto Takako

きのふより濃き月光の障子なる

篠原梵

kinō yori koki gekkō no shōji naru

more intense than
last night-moonlight
through the shōji

[Shōji are the papered lattices that shade windows in traditional Japanese architecture.]

Shinohara Bon

月明し家を定めしばかりにて

百合山羽公

tsuki akashi ie o tadameshi bakari nite

the moon brightly
shines on the house
just chosen 

Yuriyama Ukō

The poet seems to be having second thoughts about a house he has just chosen to live in. Seeing the moon rise over the roof, he is struck by the brilliance of its light, and wonders if he made the right choice.

名月【めいげつ】 meigetsu harvest moon [literally "famous moon"; all these kigo refer to the full moon of the eighth lunar month, usually in September] (mid autumn)

明月【めいげつ】 meigetsu bright moon
望月【もちづき】 mochizuki auspicious moon / full moon
満月【まんげつ】 mangetsu full moon [literal]
今日の月【きょうのつき】 kyō no tsuki today's moon
月今宵【つきこよい】 tsuki koyoi the moon this evening
芋名月【いもめいげつ】 imo meigetsu taro-famous moon [refers to practice of serving taro (a tuber similar to potato) on this night]

無月【むげつ】 mugetsu invisible moon / unseen moon [refers to the full moon of the eighth lunar month, usually in September, being invisible because of clouds, weather, and so on] (mid autumn)

後の月【のちのつき】 nochi no tsuki after-moon [that is, the full moon of the ninth lunar month, next in brightness to the full moon of the eighth lunar month; equivalent to the North American "hunter's moon"] (late autumn)

十三夜【じゅうさんや】 jūsanya the 13th night of the ninth lunar month [a full-moon night]
豆名月【まめめいげつ】 mame-meigetsu bean/lesser harvest moon
栗名月【くりめいげつ】 kuri-meigetsu chestnut harvest moon

天の川【あまのがわ】 amanogawa （あまのがは）, Milky Way (early autumn)

銀河【ぎんが】 ginga Silver River / the galaxy [figurative for the Milky Way]
銀漢【ぎんかん】 ginkan Silver River [literally "Silver Han" = 銀河【ぎんが】 ginga, above]

On clear nights, the Milky Way--the galaxy which contains our solar system--may look like a band of thin cloud, or a belt of glittering silver sand in the sky. It is especially striking and beautiful when viewed on clear autumn nights. There are so many kinds of gorgeous stars in the universe's galactic system; scientifically explained, seen by someone with an unobstructed view, this ring of the universe looks belt-shaped. But whoever looks up at this night sky is ushered into a legendary dream-world like that of Tanabata.

荒海や佐渡に横たふ天の川

芭蕉

araumi ya sado ni yokotou amanogawa

rough sea . . .
stretching to Sado Island
the Milky Way

Bashō

更け行くや水田の上の天の川

惟然

fuke yuku ya mizuta no ue no amanogawa

it grows late . . . 
over wet paddy-fields
the Milky Way

Izen

天の川水車は水をあげてこぼす

川崎展宏

amanogawa suisha wa mizu o agete kobosu

the Milky Way--
a waterwheel brings up water
and spills it

Kawasaki Tenkō

うすうすとしかもさだかに天の川

清崎敏郎

usu-usu to shika mo sadaka ni amanogawa

faintly faintly
and even so-clearly
the Milky Way

Kiyozaki Toshio

米提げてもどる独りの天の川

竹下しずの女

kome sagete modoru hitori no amanogawa

carrying rice
I return-alone
the Milky Way

Takeshita Shizunojo

Widowed, single-handedly raising her children, the author's life of desperation finds expression here. It is the loneliness of one coming home alone with the rice needed for life. Even so, beyond the limits of this aloneness there is the Milky Way.

流星【りゅうせい】 ryūsei （りうせい）, meteor(s) / shooting star(s) / falling star(s) (all autumn)

流れ星【ながれぼし】 flowing star(s) [literal]
星飛ぶ【ほしとぶ】 hoshi tobu a meteor flies / meteors fly [literally "a star flies / stars fly"]
夜這星【よばいぼし】 yobaiboshi night-crawling star(s) / night-trailing star(s) [both literal]

秋風【あきかぜ】 akikaze autumn breeze / autumn wind [carries with it the sound of rustling leaves] (all autumn)

秋風【しゅうふう】 shūfū autumn breeze / autumn wind
秋の風【あきのかぜ】 aki no kaze autumn breeze / autumn wind

野分【のわき】 nowaki equinoctial storm / line storm [literally "field-divider"; apparently an old name for "typhoon", in haikai understood to emphasize the wind, as opposed to typhoons in which rain is most prominent] (mid autumn)

野わけ【のわけ】 nowake equinoctial storm / line storm

台風【たいふう】（颱風） taifū typhoon [note: typhoons (Pacific) are essentially the same as hurricanes (Atlantic), developing from tropical storms in their respective oceans] (mid autumn)

台風圏【たいふうけん】 taifūken typhoon area/range
台風裡【たいふうり】 taifū-ri back of (a/the) typhoon
台風眼【たいふうのめ】 taifū no me eye of (a/the) typhoon

芋嵐【いもあらし】 imo-arashi taro-storm / taro-tempest [wind strong enough to batter the leaves of a taro plant] (mid autumn)

秋の雨【あきのあめ】 aki no ame autumn rain (all autumn)

秋雨【あきさめ】 akisame autumn rain

稲妻【いなずま】 inazuma （いなづま）, heat lightning / lightning [literally "rice lightning"; in a clear sky, without thunder or rain] (all autumn)

稲光【いなびかり】 inabikari lightning flash

This refers to lightning flashing across the clear night sky without rain or thunder, often seen in distant skies on autumn nights. The name inazuma, literally "rice's mate", derives from the folk belief that this kind of lightning causes rice grain to ripen.

いなづまや堅田泊りの宵の空

蕪村

inazuma ya katada-domari no yoi no sora

lightning . . .
while staying in Katada
this night sky

Buson

稲妻のゆたかなる夜も寝べきころ

中村汀女

inazuma no yutaka naru yo mo nebeki koro

a night rich
in lightning even when
it's time to sleep

Nakamura Teijo

稲妻や夜も語りゐる葦と沼

木下夕爾

inazuma ya yo mo katari iru ashi to numa

lightning
the night too is talking
reeds and marshes

Kinoshita Yūji

稲妻の斬りさいなめる真夜の岳

福田蓼汀

inazuma no kirisainameru mayo no take

lightning
slashes and taunts
the midnight cliff

Fukuda Ryōtei

稲妻はかかはりもなし字を習ふ

及川貞

inazuma wa kakawari mo nashi ji o narau

of the lightning
I take no notice--practicing/
my brush writing

Oikawa Tei

いなびかり北よりすれば北を見る

橋本多佳子

inabikari kita yori sureba kita o miru

when lightning
flashes from the north
I look north

Hashimoto Takako

This gives the idea of looking for a moment in the direction where a sudden lightning flash has gone. Beyond the fact that this direction happens to be north, north also brings in the feeling of the desolation of cold ground, deepening the idea of this lightning.

霧【きり】 kiri autumn mist / fog [see note "On Haze, Mist, Fog"] (all autumn)

狭霧【さぎり】 sagiri thin fog / thin autumn mist
霧襖【きりふすま】 kirifusuma（きりぶすま）, wall of fog/mist [literally "fog fusuma", sliding door of fog]

露【つゆ】 tsuyu dew [avoid confusion with homonym 梅雨【つゆ】 tsuyu, rainy season, in summer] (all autumn)

白露【はくろ】 hakuro white dew
露の玉【つゆのたま】 tsuyu no tama dew drop
露けし【つゆけし】 tsuyukeshi heavy with dew / dew-laden [carries classical overtone of tearfulness]
露しぐれ【つゆしぐれ】 tsuyu shigure dew shower

Dew consists of droplets of water condensed on the ground and on the leaves of grasses, trees and other plants, where it remains early in the morning until the heat of the sun causes it to evaporate. Dew can always be seen on mornings following clear and windless autumn nights, a beautiful spectacle as its droplets shine in the sunlight.

芋の露連山影を正うす

飯田蛇笏

imo no tsuyu renzan kage o tadashi usu

dew on the taro
the mountain range's shadow
perfectly disappears

Iida Dakotsu

露の玉走りて残す小粒かな

川端茅舎

tsuyu no tama hashirite nokosu kotsubu kana

dew drops
run down leaving such
tiny droplets

Kawabata Bōsha

白露や死んでゆく日も帯締めて

三橋鷹女

shiratsuyu ya shinde yuku hi mo obi shimete

the white dew . . .
on the day when I die too
tying my obi

[That is, "I'll be tying my obi."]

Mitsuhashi Takajo

蔓踏んで一山の露動きけり

原石鼎

tsuru funde ichizan no tsuyu ugokikeri

I tread on a vine
and the whole mountain's
dew moved

Hara Sekitei

While walking in the mountains, unwittingly he stepped on a vine. He was surprised at the extent to which that vine was connected to other plants and trees, knocking the dew off them. Just this movement of the dew captures the whole story of the autumnal scene in this one verse.