Kasugayama tani no umoregi kuchinu tomo kimi ni tsugekose mine no matsukaze - Shin Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

春日山谷の埋もれ木朽ちぬとも
君に告げこせ峰の松風

Roma-ji: Kasugayama tani no umoregi kuchinu tomo kimi ni tsugekose mine no matsukaze
English Translation: Though I rot away,
a log buried deep within
the vale of Kasuga,
tell my lord of me, I pray,
O pine wind from the peak.
Meaning: Though I rot away like a log buried in the valley of Mount Kasuga, O pine wind on the peak, carry word of me to my lord.
Commentary: Book Eighteen Miscellaneous Poems III 1794

Headnote: "On 'Wind in the Pines,' for the Kasuga Shrine Poetry Contest."
This is the fourth of the poems on the pine. Though he rot away unknown like a log buried in the valley of Mount Kasuga, he asks the pine wind on the peak to tell his lord of him. He entrusts to the wind in the pines his wish that his obscure self be noticed. According to the headnote, it was composed on the topic "Wind in the Pines" for a poetry contest at the Kasuga Shrine.
The author, "Ietaka Ason," is Fujiwara no Ietaka. A son of Fujiwara no Mitsutaka, he was one of the compilers of the Shin Kokinshū. He rose to Minister of the Imperial Household and was ranked alongside Fujiwara no Teika.
Mount Kasuga is a mountain in Yamato Province, in present-day Nara City; at its foot stands the Kasuga Shrine, dedicated to the tutelary gods of the Fujiwara clan.

The first line, "Kasugayama," is the mountain of the Kasuga Shrine, the Fujiwara clan's tutelary shrine. It first sets out the place of prayer for the poet, himself a Fujiwara.
The second line, "tani no umoregi," is a log buried in the valley, unknown to anyone, a figure for his obscurity. It contrasts in height with the pine on the peak.
The third line, "kuchinu tomo," means "though I rot away." "Tomo" marks a concessive supposition.
In the fourth line, "kimi ni tsugekose," "kose" is the imperative of the auxiliary "kosu," expressing a wish, "please do."
The last line, "mine no matsukaze," addresses the wind in the pines on the peak. The buried log in the valley and the pine on the peak are set against each other, showing his wish that his thoughts reach his lord on high. The next poem too sings of the wind in the pines on the same topic.
Author: Fujiwara no Ietaka
Source: Shin Kokin Wakashu
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