物思ふと隠らひ居りて今日見れば
春日の山は色づきにけり
春日の山は色づきにけり
- Roma-ji
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Mono omou to komorai orite kyō mireba kasuga no yama wa irozukinikeri
- English Translation
-
Lost in brooding thought,
I stayed shut away inside,
and today I looked—
Kasuga's mountain slopes
have turned color, all this while!
- Meaning
- Lost in brooding, I had stayed shut indoors—and when I looked today, the mountain of Kasuga had turned color.
- Commentary
-
Book Ten Autumn Miscellaneous Poems 2199
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "On Autumn Leaves"
This poem is surprised to find that while the speaker stayed shut indoors sunk in brooding, Mount Kasuga had fully turned color. The discovery that the season moved steadily on even while the heart was downcast carries feeling about the passage of time. The Mount Kasuga predicted in 2195 to begin coloring tomorrow has here already turned, so time advances within the group.
The first line, "lost in brooding," names the speaker's state.
In the second line, "komorai orite," "komorau" means to stay shut away: staying indoors. The line is hypermetric.
The third line, "when I looked today," names the moment.
The fourth line, "Mount Kasuga," names the mountain.
In the last line, "irozukinikeri," "keri" expresses realization, closing with surprise at the season's change.
- Source
- Manyoshu
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