Mishimano ni kasumi tanabiki shikasuga ni kinō mo kyō mo yuki wa furitsutsu

三島野に霞たなびきしかすがに
昨日も今日も雪は降りつつ

Roma-ji: Mishimano ni kasumi tanabiki shikasuga ni kinō mo kyō mo yuki wa furitsutsu
English Translation: On Mishima Plain
the spring haze trails long and low,
and yet even so,
yesterday and today too,
still the snow keeps falling down.
Meaning: Spring haze trails across Mishima Plain, and yet, yesterday and today alike, the snow keeps falling.
Commentary: Book Eighteen 4079

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Four poems sent in reply by Ōtomo no Yakamochi, governor of Etchū Province." "Further, on what met my eyes."
The poet describes a late-spring scene in Etchū: spring haze trails over Mishima Plain, yet snow has fallen yesterday and today. After answering Ikenushi's three poems, he adds this view before his eyes, conveying the late arrival of spring in snowy Etchū.
Ōtomo no Yakamochi was the son of Ōtomo no Tabito, and from 746 he served as governor of Etchū. He is believed to have played a central role in compiling the Man'yōshū, and this book has the character of a poetic diary of his years in Etchū.
The left note reads "the sixteenth day of the third month." The cherries still in bud in the preceding poem, 4077, and this scene of continuing snow echo each other, conveying how late spring comes to Etchū.

First line, "Mishimano ni": Mishima Plain lay in Imizu District of Etchū, thought to be around present-day Imizu, Toyama.
Second line, "kasumi tanabiki": the trailing spring haze, a sign of spring.
Third line, "shikasuga ni": "and yet," "even so," joining the upper and lower halves with a contrast.
Fourth line, "kinō mo kyō mo": the repeated form stresses that the snow goes on day after day.
Last line, "yuki wa furitsutsu": "tsutsu" marks continuation, trailing off and leaving a lingering feeling. Setting spring haze beside snow, things of spring and winter, it depicts the tug of war between the seasons.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
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