Miyoshino no Yoshino no taki ni ukabiizuru awa o ka tama no kiyu to mitsuramu - Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

み吉野の吉野の滝に浮かびいづる
泡をかたまの消ゆと見つらむ

Roma-ji: Miyoshino no Yoshino no taki ni ukabiizuru awa o ka tama no kiyu to mitsuramu
English Translation: In fair Yoshino,
at the falls of Yoshino,
the foam rising up—
did they see it as jewels
that vanish as they appear?
Meaning: The foam that rises and floats at the falls of lovely Yoshino—did people see it as jewels that melt away?
Commentary: Book Ten Names of Things 431

Headnote: "Ogatama tree"
This poem wonders whether people saw the foam rising at the Yoshino falls as jewels vanishing. The title "ogatama no ki" (ogatama tree) is hidden in "o ka tama no ki," spanning "awa o ka tama no" in the fourth line and the start of "kiyu" in the fifth. The ogatama tree was counted as one of the "Three Trees" treated as secret teachings in the Kokin Denju tradition, and together with "medo ni kezuribana" in 445 and "kawanagusa" in 449 of this book, its interpretation has long been treated with great weight.
The poet, "Tomonori," is Ki no Tomonori. A cousin of Ki no Tsurayuki, he was one of the compilers of the Kokinshu but died before it was completed. He is one of the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets.

First line "Miyoshino no" uses the honorific prefix "mi," praising Yoshino.
Second line "Yoshino no taki ni" repeats "Yoshino" from the first line, smoothing the rhythm and impressing the famous Yoshino falls on the reader.
Third line "ukabiizuru" means "rising to float," depicting the foam born again and again in the basin of the falls.
Fourth line "awa o ka tama no" uses the interrogative particle "ka," meaning "the foam, as jewels." The title "ogatama no ki" is hidden from "o ka tama no" to the "ki" of the fifth line.
Fifth line "kiyu to mitsuramu" closes in the attributive "ramu" in answer to "ka," wondering whether they saw jewels vanishing.
Author: Ki no Tomonori
Source: Kokin Wakashu
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