Waga yado no fuyuki no ue ni furu yuki o ume no hana ka to uchimitsuru kamo

我が宿の冬木の上に降る雪を
梅の花かとうち見つるかも

Roma-ji: Waga yado no fuyuki no ue ni furu yuki o ume no hana ka to uchimitsuru kamo
English Translation: In my garden here,
upon the bare winter trees,
the snow that falls down,
"are those plum blossoms?" I thought,
taking it for flowers
Meaning: The snow falling on the bare winter trees in my garden: for a moment I took it for plum blossoms.
Commentary: Book Eight Winter Miscellaneous Poems 1645

Headnote: "A poem on snow by Kose no Ason Sukunamaro"
The poet says that for a moment he took the snow falling on the bare winter trees in his garden for plum blossoms. His heart, waiting for spring, makes him mistake snow on the withered trees for plum flowers.
The author, Kose no Sukunamaro, was an official of the Kose clan.

The first line names his own garden.
The second line means "upon the bare winter trees." Ōtomo no Yakamochi's 1649 in this book also sings of "the plum on the winter trees," catching plum that has actually bloomed in rivalry with the snow.
The third line names the snow falling on the bare trees.
The fourth line, "thinking it plum blossoms," presents the conceit of mistaking snow for flowers.
The final line, with the perfective "tsu" and exclamatory "kamo," expresses his feeling at the momentary mistake. Whereas Ōtomo no Tabito's 1640 in this book mistakes plum for snow, this poem mistakes snow for plum, reversing the direction of the conceit.
Author: Kose no Sukunamaro
Source: Manyoshu
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