Utsuriyuku kumo ni arashi no koe su nari chiru ka masaki no kazuraki no yama

English Translation

Shifting, drifting on,
in the clouds the storm wind's voice
is heard to cry;
are the vine leaves scattering
on the mountain of Kazuraki?

Meaning

In the drifting clouds I hear the voice of the storm wind. Are the leaves of the masaki vine scattering now on Mount Kazuraki?

Commentary

Book Six Winter Poems 561

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Composed and presented on the topic 'Falling Leaves' for the Kasuga Shrine Poetry Contest."
This is the ninth poem of the falling-leaves sequence. Hearing the voice of the storm wind in the drifting clouds, the speaker wonders whether the leaves of the masaki vine are scattering on Mount Kazuraki. The headnote continues from the preceding poem, and this poem was composed on the topic "Falling Leaves" at the same Kasuga Shrine Poetry Contest.
The author, "Fujiwara no Masatsune," is Fujiwara no Masatsune. A son of the Minister of Justice Fujiwara no Yoritsune, he founded the Asukai house of kemari football and poetry. He was one of the compilers of the Shin Kokin Wakashū.
The scene is a winter day with drifting clouds, and the place is Mount Kazuraki on the border of Yamato and Kawachi Provinces.
As with the preceding poem, the direct occasion is the topic "Falling Leaves" at the Kasuga Shrine Poetry Contest of Genkyū 1 (1204).

The first line, "utsuriyuku," describes clouds drifting and shifting as they go.
The second line, "kumo ni arashi no," means "in the clouds, of the storm wind," showing that the storm is driving the clouds along.
In the third line, "koe su nari," "nari" is an auxiliary that infers from sound. The sound of the storm is called a "voice," and the poem breaks after the third line.
In the fourth line, "chiru ka masaki no," "ka" marks a question, wondering "are they scattering?" "Masaki" is the masaki vine, the same image as "masaki chiru" in 557 of this book. The "kazura" of "masaki no kazura" is carried over into "Kazuraki" in the last line.
The last line, "kazuraki no yama," names Mount Kazuraki, rising on the border of Yamato and Kawachi, and works as a pivot word linking "masaki no kazura" with the place name "Kazuraki." The poem closes on a noun. Picturing the vine scattering on a distant mountain from the sound of the storm heard by the ear, it continues the device, seen in 553 and 554 of this book, of inferring what cannot be seen.

Author

Fujiwara no Masatsune

Source

Shin Kokin Wakashu

Other