Shiwasu ni wa awayuki furu to shirane kamo ume no hana saku fufumerazu shite

十二月には沫雪降ると知らねかも
梅の花咲くふふめらずして

Roma-ji: Shiwasu ni wa awayuki furu to shirane kamo ume no hana saku fufumerazu shite
English Translation: In the twelfth month, snow,
the light snow, falls: is it that
you do not know it?
The plum blossoms are in bloom,
not waiting in their buds
Meaning: Does it not know that light snow falls in the twelfth month? The plum is in bloom, without waiting in bud.
Commentary: Book Eight Winter Miscellaneous Poems 1648

Headnote: "A poem on the plum by Lady Ki no Oshika"
The poet sings that though light snow falls in the twelfth month, the plum, as if not knowing it, has bloomed without waiting in bud. Teasing the plum that bloomed early in the snowy season for not knowing its time, she cherishes its loveliness.
The author, Lady Ki, is called Lady Ki no Oshika in the headnote and was named Oshika. She was a daughter of Ki no Kahito and is said to have become the wife of Prince Aki.

The first line names the twelfth month of the lunar calendar, the season of snow.
The second line means "that light snow falls."
The third line, "ne," the perfective form of the negative "zu," with the interrogative "kamo," surmises "is it because it does not know?" The poem pauses here.
The fourth line states that the plum is in bloom.
The final line, "without waiting in bud," shows at the end, by inversion, the plum hurrying to bloom. Ōtomo no Murakami's 1436 in this book sings of "the plum branch that you said was still in bud," so the plum in bud and the plum that blooms without budding stand in contrast.
Author: Ki no Iratsume
Source: Manyoshu
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