暁あかつき闇やみ

also: あかときやみ

あ

か

つ

き

や

み

Meanings

1

moonless dawn; darkness before dawn

Literary term for the deep darkness just before daybreak when the moon is absent. Evokes a poetic, somewhat archaic atmosphere.

暁あかつき闇やみのなか、鳥とりの声こえだけが聞きこえた。
In the moonless dawn, only the birds' voices could be heard.
古ふるい和わ歌かには暁あかつき闇やみを詠よんだものが多おおい。
Many old waka poems sing of the darkness before dawn.