Ame no shita sude ni ōite furu yuki no hikari o mireba tōtoku mo aru ka

天の下すでに覆ひて降る雪の
光りを見れば貴くもあるか

Roma-ji: Ame no shita sude ni ōite furu yuki no hikari o mireba tōtoku mo aru ka
English Translation: All beneath heaven
it has covered utterly,
this falling snow—
when I gaze upon its light,
how precious and how noble
Meaning: Looking upon the light of the snow that falls and covers all the land beneath heaven, how precious and noble it is.
Commentary: Book Seventeen 3923

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "In the first month of the eighteenth year of Tenpyō, white snow fell heavily and lay several inches deep. Thereupon the Minister of the Left, Lord Tachibana, leading the Major Counselor Fujiwara no Toyonari Ason and the princes and courtiers, went to the residence of the Retired Sovereign (the west court of the Chūgū palace) and served by sweeping the snow. An imperial command was then issued, seating the ministers, councilors and princes in the great hall and the lords and officials in the south gallery, and wine was bestowed at a banquet. The sovereign said: "You princes and lords, compose a little on this snow, and each present your poem." A poem by Ki no Ason Kiyohito in response to the command"
Gazing at the light of snow that covers all under heaven, the poet finds it truly precious—a poem praising the radiance of the snow. In the first month of 746, on a day when several inches of snow had fallen, the Minister of the Left Tachibana no Moroe led the princes and courtiers to the residence of the Retired Sovereign Genshō and served by sweeping the snow. This is one of the poems composed on the theme of snow at the banquet that followed, in response to the sovereign's command. It may be read as a poem of blessing that lays over the snow's light, covering the whole realm, the sovereign's virtue spreading throughout the land.
The poet, Ki no Kiyohito, was a Nara-period official distinguished for his learning, who also took part in compiling the national history.
The left note adds that eighteen others, beginning with Fujiwara no Toyonari, also presented poems in response to the command, but these were not written down at the time and were lost. It also tells how Hata no Chōgen, unable to compose a poem, was teased by Tachibana no Moroe that he should pay with musk instead, and fell silent.

First line, "ame no shita": "all beneath heaven," the whole realm, opening with a vast view suited to a court banquet poem.
Second line, "sude ni ōite": sude ni means "entirely," the snow covering all the realm.
Third line, "furu yuki no": the same words as the first line of the preceding poem, 3922, taking up the theme of snow set for the poems in response to the command.
Fourth line, "hikari o mireba": "when I see its light." Poem 3926 in this book also praises the light of the snow in "white snow lying till it shines."
Fifth line, "tōtoku mo aru ka": the same last line as the preceding poem, 3922, entrusting praise of the sovereign's virtue to the nobility of the snow's light.
Author: Ki no Kiyohito
Source: Manyoshu
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