Read, reflect, pray
Wind in the streamside oaks: waka
風そよぐ
Fujiwara no Ietaka
Poem and reading aid
風そよぐ
kazesoyogu
ならの小川の
narano ogawano
夕暮れは
yuugureha
みそぎぞ夏の
misogizo natsuno
しるしなりける
shirushinarikeru
How to use the Roman letters
Roman letters follow the kana displayed in this site’s Japanese reader; some readings are editorial additions documented on the Japanese page. These are a reading aid, not restored Sanskrit or a recording of a temple’s chanting. Historical spellings (such as wo, wi, we and ha used as a particle) are kept. Double vowels and repeated vowels mark the written kana; rhythm and pronunciation can differ by tradition.
You can simply read the meaning or sit quietly. No recitation is required. For a temple or shrine’s own recitation, follow that tradition’s published guidance.
Meaning in English
At dusk by Nara’s little stream, the wind murmurs coolly. Only the purification rite reminds us that it is summer.
Background and attribution
Kamigamo Shrine explains that this waka is chanted during its summer Great Purification. The poem links ritual and the feeling of the season; its speaker is the poet, not a kami.
The English meaning and explanation are this site’s own rendering. The poem’s speaker, author and object of devotion are not necessarily the same.
Connected figures
Sources and edition (2)
English explanations on this page were prepared by Inori no Mori from the cited text and its Japanese explanations. They are not an official translation or a prescribed liturgy.