「冴ゆ」季語翻訳

As an assignment from my Haiku course, I need to choose a seasonal word entry from the saijiki book and translate the entry into English. After the translation, I need to write my own haiku using this seasonal word.

I considered many choices, but decided to do 「冴ゆ」.

Why I chose this seasonal word? Well, maybe one reason is that it has few haiku need to translate... who knows~

In the first place, the kanji itself is really pretty with its left part, which relates to ice and cold. The meaning of the kanji builds up the same feeling.

There are several meanings of this kanji:

1. the meaning of 冴（さ）える。
   1. the weather become cold, or people feel cold
   2. light or sound are sharp, vivid, and clear
   3. mind, vision, or perception is sharp, keen, and clear
2. to freeze

(Cited and translated from a web page.)

Speaking of the first time when I saw the kanji「冴」was from the name of a game character. Her name is 新島冴（にいじまさえ）, and is a capable prosecutor. Actually, I have never thought of that her name is so related to her cool beauty and independent charateristics. I took a photo of the page on this character from the Official Art Design Book I bought several years ago. The photo does tell the story.

Another place where I saw this kanji is from the lyric of a J-POP song 勘冴えて悔しいわ (Kan Saete Kuyashiiwa) from ずっと真夜中でいいのに。(Zutomayo).

もう 勘が冴えて悔しいわ
Going on unconscious would’ve been so easy

Those are the reasons why I grew up interest on this kigo and decided to do the project on it.

Let's head into the translation!

Sayu　冴ゆ

winter month seasonal word

Sub-seasonal word:

1. Sae 冴え: light, sound, or colour are sharp, clear, and vivid due to extreme cold.
2. moon sae 月冴え: the image of the clearer presence or shape of the moon when it is extremly cold.
3. voice/sound sae 声冴え: the image that sound and voice carry better in the air when it is extremly cold.
4. wind sae 風冴え: the image of the cold wind that blows piercing to the bone.
5. frost sae 霜冴え: the image of the clearer frost when it is extremly cold.
6. bell sae 鐘冴え: the image of the clearer sound of the bell when it is extremly cold.
7. star sae 星冴え: the image that the winter starts appear brighter when it is extremly cold.
8. light sae 灯冴え: the image of the clearer presence of the light when it is extremly cold.
9. shadow sae 影冴え: the image of the clearer presence of shape of the shadow when it is extremly cold.

Explaination:

寒さがきわまり、ひたすら透明に澄んだ、よどみない冷たきである。鋭利な刃物で大気が切られたような感じを受ける。音、光、色などを対象に俳句が作られている。目には見えない感覚的な季語であるから、対象の選択が大事になってくる。「冷し」や「冱つ」より、感性に訴えるところがあり、もっとも多いと思われる表現に「月冴ゆ」がある。

The cold reaches its peak, becoming utterly transparent and clear, devoid of any stagnation. It feels as if some sharp blade cut apart the atmosphere. Haiku using this seasonal word usually consider things like sound, light, and color as subjects. Since this seasonal word cannot be seen and is related to feeling, it becomes crucial to choose what subject to write on. Compared to the use as expressing "coldness" or "freezing", it has a more appealing expressing way related to senses, and the most common used expression is "moon sayu".

Example Haiku:

山辺より灯しそめて冴ゆるかな　　—前田普羅

From the mountain edge

Lights begin to glow

How lucidly they shine!

ひとりゐて壁に冴ゆるや昼の月　　—富田木歩

Alone I stay

Upon the wall, it gleams so clear –

the midday moon

その一語胸中にあり冴ゆるかな　　—青柳志解樹

That single word

Echo in my heart

How clear and sharp

My Haiku:

冴ゆる月　はるかに照らせ　我が道や

The moon, bright and clear

Shining from afar –

Please light up my road!

手と足が　夜に紛れる　冴ゆる星

Hands and feet

Blend into the night

Oh, crystal clear stars!

風冴ゆる　言葉聞こえぬ　笑顔かな

Piercing winds

Words unheard

A smile on her face

暗きより暗き道へと入りぬべき / はるかに照らせ山のはの月
(Kōchū kokka taikei Ⅲ 564) by Izumi Shikibu.

The way I must enter

Leads through darkness to darkness—

O moon about the mountain’s rim,

please shine a little further

on my path. (Vincent 26)

3/2/2024

modified in 3/5/2024