Shigeoka ni kamusabi tachite sakaetaru chiyo matsu no ki no toshi no shiranaku

茂岡に神さび立ちて栄えたる
千代松の木の年の知らなく

Roma-ji: Shigeoka ni kamusabi tachite sakaetaru chiyo matsu no ki no toshi no shiranaku
English Translation: Upon Shigeoka,
standing hallowed with the years,
flourishing and green—
the thousand-age pine tree there,
whose years no one can reckon
Meaning: On the hill of Shigeoka the pine stands hallowed and flourishing; how many years that thousand-age tree has lived, no one can tell.
Commentary: Book Six Miscellaneous Poems 990

Headnote: "A poem by Ki no Asomi Kahito on the pine tree of Shigeoka at Tomi"
This poem marvels at an ancient pine standing hallowed and flourishing on the hill of Shigeoka at Tomi, whose age cannot be reckoned. Sensing something divine in a pine that seems to have lived a thousand ages, the poet praises the tree of the place and, through it, celebrates the endurance of the land itself.
Tomi was a place in the province of Yamato, thought to be near present-day Tobi in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture. Shigeoka was the name of a hill there, and as the character "shige," meaning "thick," suggests, it was likely a hill dense with trees. The praise of the pine's long life answers the next poem, 991, where the Hatsuse River is said to flow "without ever ceasing."
The poet, Ki no Kahito, was an official of the Nara period belonging to the Ki no Asomi clan. He was granted the Outer Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade, in Tenpyō 9 (737), and served as head of the Palace Maintenance Office and later of the Palace Kitchen Office. The Man'yō poet Lady Ki (Ki no Oshika) is said to have been his daughter.

This poem and the next, 991, both by Ki no Kahito, stand side by side as a pair praising the length of time through two scenes: the pine whose years cannot be known, and the Hatsuse River whose flow never ceases.
The first line, "Upon Shigeoka," tells where the pine stands. The place name carries the image of a hill thick with trees, leading to "flourishing" below.
The second line, "standing hallowed with the years," means standing in an ancient and sacred manner. "Kamusabu" describes something that has taken on a godlike dignity through long years, and here the poet senses a deity dwelling in the old pine.
The third line, "flourishing and green," describes the branches and needles growing thick and vigorous. Ancient sanctity and a still-abundant life are layered together in a single pine.
The fourth line, "the thousand-age pine tree there," means a pine that has passed a thousand ages. "A thousand ages" is a word of praise for long life, and the view of the pine as a symbol of longevity already appears here.
The final line, "whose years no one can reckon," means that its age cannot be known. "Shiranaku" is the nominalized form of "shirazu," left open with a sigh of wonder. The poem closes in awe that the pine's age lies beyond any measure humans can know.
Author: Ki no Kahito
Source: Manyoshu
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