Tanka 3
Moon, somnolent, white, Mirrored in a waveless sea, What fickle mood of night Urged thee from heaven to flee And live in the dawnlit sea?
Sadakichi Hartmann
Moon, somnolent, white, Mirrored in a waveless sea, What fickle mood of night Urged thee from heaven to flee And live in the dawnlit sea?
A pale, sleepy-looking moon hangs above water so still that the moon appears perfectly mirrored. The speaker speaks to the moon as if it were a person, asking what restless impulse of the night made it leave heaven and take up residence in the sea.
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