Oinu tote matsu wa midori zo masarikeru waga kurokami no yuki no samusa ni - Shin Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

老いぬとて松は緑ぞまさりける
わが黒髪の雪の寒さに

Roma-ji: Oinu tote matsu wa midori zo masarikeru waga kurokami no yuki no samusa ni
English Translation: Though it has grown old,
the pine only deepens
in its shade of green,
while my black hair lies beneath
the coldness of the snow.
Meaning: Though it has grown old, the pine only grows deeper in its green, while my black hair turns cold and white as if covered with snow.
Commentary: Book Eighteen Miscellaneous Poems III 1696

Headnote: "Pine."
A poem on the topic of the pine, this is the seventh of Sugawara no Michizane's twelve poems on one-character topics. The pine grows greener still with the years, while white hair like snow settles on his black hair. Setting the unchanging pine against his aging self, it carries his grief at growing old in exile.
The author, "Kan Zō Daijō Daijin," is Sugawara no Michizane. No author is named in the original; the attribution continues from the preceding poem. The son of Sugawara no Koreyoshi and renowned as a scholar and poet in Chinese, he rose to Minister of the Right but under Emperor Daigo was demoted to Provisional Governor-General of Dazaifu and died in exile. Because he was posthumously granted the office of Chancellor, he is referred to by this title.

The first line, "oinu tote," means "though it has grown old." "Nu" is perfective, telling of the long years the pine has passed.
In the second line, "matsu wa midori zo," "zo" is a kakari particle reaching to the third line. The pine, whose color does not change even in the cold, has long stood in waka for long life and constancy.
The third line, "masarikeru," closes the kakari-musubi of "zo" with "keru," the attributive form of "keri." It shows the pine growing greener with age, and the poem pauses here.
The fourth line, "waga kurokami no," is the poet's own hair. The word "black" pairs in color with the pine's "green."
In the last line, "yuki no samusa ni," the "snow" stands for white hair. Through inversion the cold of the snow on his black hair comes last, sharpening the contrast between the unchanging pine and his aging self.
Author: Sugawara no Michizane
Source: Shin Kokin Wakashu
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