Kuchinikeru nagara no hashi o kite mireba ashi no kareha ni akikaze zo fuku - Shin Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

朽ちにける長柄の橋を来て見れば
芦の枯れ葉に秋風ぞ吹く

Roma-ji: Kuchinikeru nagara no hashi o kite mireba ashi no kareha ni akikaze zo fuku
English Translation: The bridge of Nagara
that has fallen to decay—
coming here to look,
on the withered leaves of reeds
the autumn wind is blowing.
Meaning: When I come to see the Nagara Bridge that has decayed away, the autumn wind is blowing over the withered leaves of the reeds.
Commentary: Book Seventeen Miscellaneous Poems II 1596

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Composed on the Nagara Bridge."
This is the third poem of the sequence on the Nagara Bridge. Coming to see the decayed Nagara Bridge, the poet finds the autumn wind blowing through the withered reed leaves. According to the headnote, the poem was composed with the Nagara Bridge as its topic.
The author, "Go-Tokudaiji Sadaijin," is Fujiwara no Sanesada. A son of Minister of the Right Fujiwara no Kinyoshi, he rose to Minister of the Left. He was a nephew of Fujiwara no Shunzei.

The first line, "kuchinikeru," means "that has decayed." The perfective "ni" and the past "keru" together show the bridge as already fallen to ruin. Taking up "kuchi koso masare" of 1594 in this book, the decaying bridge has at last decayed away.
The second line, "nagara no hashi o," sets forth directly the Nagara Bridge that is the topic of the sequence.
The third line, "kite mireba," means "when I come and look." Following the boat visit of the preceding poem, the scene is drawn through the eyes of one who has actually come.
The fourth line, "ashi no kareha ni," means "on the withered reed leaves." The word "reed" echoes 1593, which sang of the reeds of Naniwa.
The last line, "akikaze zo fuku," closes the kakari-musubi of "zo" with the attributive form "fuku." No bridge is to be seen, only the autumn wind rustling the withered reeds, and with this scene the Nagara Bridge sequence closes.
Author: Fujiwara no Sanesada
Source: Shin Kokin Wakashu
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