Two Waka

When I reached 1st dan in calligraphy earlier this year, I needed to submit two works. One was freehand. The other was a copy. The following is what I needed to copy.

And here is my copy. I should have let the ink dry up a bit more, but I think that the shape of the letters are pretty good.

In hiragana, this is basically what I wrote:

つけばねのこのもかのもに影

はあれどきみかみかげに

ますかげはなし

つくばねのみねのみぢばおちつ

もりしるもしらぬもなべて

かなしも

Which is two waka poems about the mountains (hills really) in Tsukuba, not too far north east of Tokyo.

筑波嶺の　このもかのもに　陰はあれど　君がみかげに
ますかげはなし

筑波嶺の　峰のもみじ葉　落ち積り　知るも知らぬも
なべてかなしも

My translation:

Everywhere in Tsukuba Ridge
The shade of trees is beautiful
But there is no better place
Than where your shadow falls

On Tsukuba peak, Autumn ｍaple leaves fall in drifts
Like beautiful women gathering
Some familiar, some unknown
How lovely