Erlkönig: Japanese Orthography

All hiragana in one verse

Hiragana Form
(Note the archaic ゐ^wi, ゑ^we)

いろはにほへど　ちりぬるを
わがよたれぞ　　つねならむ
うゐのおくやま　けふこえて
あさきゆめみじ　ゑひもせず

Romanization

(vowels are as: Ah, Ski, sUe, theEy, nO)
I	Ro	Ha	Ni	Ho	He	Do	Chi	Ri	Nu	Ru	Wo
O	Ga	Yo	Ta	Re	Zo		Tsu	Nu	Na	Ra	Mu
U	Wi	No	O	Ku	Ya	Ma	Ha	Hu	Ko	E	Te
A	Sa	Ki	Yu	Me	Mi	Ji	We	Hi	Mo	Se	Zu

Kanji version:

色は匂へど　散りぬるを
我が世誰ぞ　常ならむ　
有為の奥山　今日越えて
浅き夢見じ　酔ひもせず

Modern hiragana form

(First は read as わ)

いろはにおへど　　ちりぬるを
わがよたれぞ　　　つねならん
ういのおくやま　きょうこえて
あさきゆめみじ　　えいもせず

Translation

As flowers are brilliant but [inevitably] fall,
who could remain constant in our world? [No one could]
Today let us transcend the high mountain of transience,
and there will be no more shallow dreaming, no more drunkenness.

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