Kono sato wa tsugite shimo ya oku natsu no no ni waga mishi kusa wa momichitarikeri

この里は継ぎて霜や置く夏の野に
我が見し草はもみちたりけり

Roma-ji: Kono sato wa tsugite shimo ya oku natsu no no ni waga mishi kusa wa momichitarikeri
English Translation: In this village here
does the frost fall without cease?
In the summer fields
the grasses I saw before
have turned to autumn colors
Meaning: Does frost fall without cease in this village? The plants I saw in the summer fields have already taken on autumn colors.
Commentary: Book Nineteen 4268

Headnote: "An imperial poem bestowed on the day when the Emperor and the Empress Dowager together visited the house of Grand Counselor Fujiwara: a clump of sawaararagi that had turned color was pulled up and given to the lady-in-waiting Sasaki no Yamagimi to carry, and sent to Grand Counselor Lord Fujiwara and the attending officials. The court lady recited it, saying"
Composed when Empress Kōken, with Empress Dowager Kōmyō, visited the house of Grand Counselor Fujiwara no Nakamaro and bestowed a clump of colored sawaararagi on him and his attendants, it wonders whether frost falls continually in this village, since the grass she saw in the summer fields has already turned color. Amused that plants in Nakamaro's garden are coloring so early, it praises the host's house.
According to the headnote, the lady-in-waiting Sasaki no Yamagimi carried the plant and a court lady recited the poem to convey it, revealing the elegance of exchanges at an imperial visit.
The poet, Empress Kōken, was the daughter of Emperor Shōmu and Empress Kōmyō and took the throne in 749. She is known for favoring Fujiwara no Nakamaro.

First line, "kono sato wa" (in this village), refers to the area of Nakamaro's residence.
Second line, "tsugite shimo ya oku" (does frost fall without cease?): "tsugite" means continually, and "ya" binds with the attributive "oku"; the poem pauses here. This line is hypermetric.
Third line, "natsu no no ni" (in the summer fields), sets up the seasonal contrast.
Fourth line, "waga mishi kusa wa" (the plants I saw), refers to the sawaararagi.
Fifth line, "momichitarikeri" (have turned color): "keri" expresses realization and surprise.
Author: Empress Kōken
Source: Manyoshu
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