Cast & Chart

Omikuji lot 59 of 100

Black Cloud Over the Disk

凶 Kyo, Bad fortune

去住心無定

行藏亦未寧

一輪清皎潔

却被黑雲暝

Going or staying, the heart cannot settle;

acting or withdrawing, there is still no peace.

One disk of clear and spotless white

is dimmed, after all, by black cloud.

What this lot says

Whether to leave or remain cannot be decided, and neither stepping forward nor holding back brings any calm. Above hangs a single round moon, clean and bright. A black cloud then covers it and the light goes.

Ending at its darkest point with the bright disk covered, this verse stands under Kyo, Bad fortune, which is the grade the book prints. A note records that another printing has a different character for the last word of line 4, so printings differ on that detail.

As a modern reflection, the indecision comes first here and the clouded moon after. Think of a choice that has been turned over many times, and ask what can actually be seen of it from where you stand.

A lot is a prompt for reflection. It cannot promise a result, and it is no substitute for medical, legal or financial advice.

The printed text

The 1684 copy is missing the leaf with this lot, so the text here comes from the 1813 printing only.

Marginal note as printed: 百籖瞑作乘

Credits

The verse and grade were read from the 1813 printing only, because the leaf with this lot is missing from the 1684 copy. The title, translation and reading are our own and modern.

Our own English. The kana commentary printed under each verse in the old books was not read.