なでしこは秋咲くものを君が家の
雪の巌に咲けりけるかも
雪の巌に咲けりけるかも
- Roma-ji
-
Nadeshiko wa aki saku mono o kimi ga ie no yuki no iwao ni sakerikeru kamo
- English Translation
-
The pink, we know,
blooms only in the autumn,
yet at your house
on a crag made of snow
here it is in bloom
- Meaning
- The pink is a flower that blooms in autumn, yet here it is blooming on a crag of snow at your house.
- Commentary
-
Book Nineteen 4231
Headnote: "At that time, the piled snow had been carved into towering crags, and flowers of plants and trees were ingeniously fashioned in color upon it. On this, the Secretary Kume no Ason Hironawa composed a poem"
At Nawamaro's banquet on the third day of the first month, seeing piled snow carved into the shape of layered crags and cleverly decorated with artificial flowers, Hironawa pretends astonishment that the pink, which should bloom in autumn, is blooming on a rock of snow.
Enjoying the surprise of finding an out-of-season flower on a snow sculpture, it is a greeting poem praising the host's ingenuity. It shows the aristocratic pastime of decorating a banquet with snow sculpture and artificial flowers.
The poet, Kume no Hironawa, served under Yakamochi as Secretary (jō, the third-ranking provincial official, also written hangan) of Etchū, and frequently exchanged poems with him.
First line, "nadeshiko wa" (the pink), presents the autumn flower as the theme.
Second line, "aki saku mono o" (though it blooms in autumn): "mono o" is concessive, stating the usual season.
Third line, "kimi ga ie no" (at your house), refers to the host Nawamaro's home.
Fourth line, "yuki no iwao ni" (on the rock of snow): "iwao" is a great rock, referring to the snow crags of the headnote.
Fifth line, "sakerikeru kamo" (how it has bloomed): "kamo" is exclamatory, expressing surprise.
- Author
- Kume no Hironawa
- Source
- Manyoshu
- Prev Poem
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Furu yuki o koshi ni nazumite maite koshi shirushi mo aru ka toshi no hajime ni
- Next Poem
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Yuki no shima iwao ni uetaru nadeshiko wa chiyo ni sakanu ka kimi ga kazashi ni