Koto towanu ki sura haru saki akizukeba momichi chiraku wa tsune o nami koso

言とはぬ木すら春咲き秋づけば
もみち散らくは常をなみこそ

Roma-ji: Koto towanu ki sura haru saki akizukeba momichi chiraku wa tsune o nami koso
English Translation: Even trees that speak not
bloom in spring, and when autumn comes,
that they turn red
and scatter is surely
because nothing endures
Meaning: Even trees, which cannot speak, bloom in spring and then, when autumn comes, turn red and scatter—surely it is because nothing in this world endures.
Commentary: Book Nineteen 4161

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "A poem lamenting the impermanence of the world, with short poems"
The first envoy to the long poem lamenting impermanence, it says that even trees, which cannot speak, bloom in spring and scatter in autumn because nothing in this world endures. Taking up the long poem's account of impermanence in the waxing and waning moon and the changing trees of the mountains, it finds that principle in the forms of nature.
Rooted in the Buddhist view of impermanence, it is considered a reflective poem that learned from the style of Yamanoue no Okura. The text carries a variant note, "one version says: tsune nakemu to zo," showing the last line was also transmitted with the sense "since there is surely no permanence." The main text is followed here.
The poet, Ōtomo no Yakamochi, was the son of the Grand Counselor Ōtomo no Tabito. From 746 he served as Governor of Etchū, living at the provincial headquarters in what is now Fushiki, Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture. He is regarded as the leading poet of the Nara period and is thought to have played a central role in compiling the Man'yōshū.

First line, "koto towanu" (that do not speak): "koto tou" means to speak, so this means "trees that cannot speak," preparing a contrast with human beings.
Second line, "ki sura haru saki" (even trees bloom in spring): "sura" means "even," implying that if even mindless trees change, how much more so do people.
Third line, "akizukeba" (when autumn comes on): "akizuku" means to take on an autumn air, shifting the seasons at a stroke from spring to autumn.
Fourth line, "momichi chiraku wa" (their reddening and scattering): "chiraku" means the act of scattering, grasping the change of leaves coloring and falling as a noun.
Fifth line, "tsune o nami koso" (it is because nothing endures): "nami" is "nashi" (there is not) with the causal "mi," and the poem closes by stressing the reason.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
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