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- Manyoshu
Ume no hana furiōu yuki o tsutsumimochi kimi ni misemu to toreba ketsutsu
I gather up in my hands the snow that has fallen over the plum blossoms, meaning to show it to you, but whenever I take it, it melts away.
Ume no hana sakichiri suginu shikasuga ni shirayuki niwa ni furishikiritsutsu
The plum blossoms have bloomed and scattered, their season now past—and yet white snow keeps falling thick upon the garden.
Imasara ni yuki furame ya mo kagiroi no moyuru harue to narinishi mono o
Could snow still fall now? Surely not—for spring has come, when the heat haze shimmers and blazes up from the earth.
Kaze majiri yuki wa furitsutsu shikasuga ni kasumi tanabiki haru sarinikeri
Mixed with the wind, the snow keeps falling—and yet the haze trails along, and spring, I realize, has come.
Yama no ma ni uguisu nakite uchinabiku haru to omoedo yuki furishikinu
Between the hills the bush warbler sings, and I thought spring, with its bending grasses, had come—yet the snow has come falling thick and fast.
O no ue ni furiokeru yuki shi kaze no muta koko ni chirurashi haru ni wa aredomo
The snow that fell and lay upon the peak seems to be scattering down here along with the wind—even though it is already spring.
Kimi ga tame yamada no sawa ni egu tsumu to yukige no mizu ni mo no suso nurenu
For your sake I went to gather egu in the marsh by the mountain paddies, and the hem of my skirt got wet in the water of melting snow.
Ume ga e ni nakite utsurou uguisu no hane shirotae ni awayuki zo furu
Upon the wings of the bush warbler that sings as it flits among the plum branches, the soft, foam-like snow is falling, turning them pure white.
Yama takami furikuru yuki o ume no hana chiri ka mo kuru to omoitsuru ka mo
Because the mountains are so high, the snow comes falling down—and I thought it was plum blossoms scattering my way.
Yuki o okite ume o na koi so ashihiki no yama katazukite iei seru kimi
Do not set the snow aside and long for plum blossoms—you who have made your home nestled against the mountain.
Kinō koso toshi wa hateshika harugasumi kasuga no yama ni haya tachinikeri
Only yesterday the old year ended, and yet already the spring haze has risen over Mount Kasuga.
Fuyu sugite haru kitarurashi asahi sasu kasuga no yama ni kasumi tanabiku
Winter has passed and spring seems to have come: on Mount Kasuga, bright with the morning sun, the haze is trailing.
Uguisu no haru ni narurashi kasugayama kasumi tanabiku yome ni miredomo
The warblers' spring seems to have arrived: over Mount Kasuga the haze is trailing—though I see it only by night.
Shimogare no fuyu no yanagi wa miru hito no kazura ni subeku moenikeru ka mo
The willow of winter, once withered by the frost, has put forth buds, enough for those who see it to twine into garlands.
Asamidori somekaketari to miru made ni haru no yanagi wa moenikeru ka mo
So much that it looks as though threads dyed pale green had been hung out, the willow of spring has burst into bud.
Yama no ma ni yuki wa furitsutsu shikasuga ni kono kawayagi wa moenikeru ka mo
Between the hills the snow keeps falling—and yet these river willows have burst into bud.