Naoko Fujimoto/Empress Teishi

Prose by Naoko Fujimoto/
Poem by Fujiwara no Teishi, Empress Teishi (977–1001 CE)

Hairs on a pillow, a sweat-stained obi-tie, incense smoke, an untidy kimono, a half-burnt candle, flowers in a vase, unfinished books, an ink bottle, blank papers, The Pillow Book, petals under the desk, your blanket, a vague shape of myself on a mattress, our newborn son—I am leaving those behind.

yomosugara/chigiri shi koto o/wasurezu wa/koimu namida no/irozo yukashiki
夜もすがら契りしことを忘れずは恋ひむ涙の色ぞゆかしき
藤原定子