Kasumi tatsu haru no hajime o kyō no goto mimu to omoeba tanoshi to zo mou

霞立つ春の初めを今日のごと
見むと思へば楽しとぞ思ふ

Roma-ji: Kasumi tatsu haru no hajime o kyō no goto mimu to omoeba tanoshi to zo mou
English Translation: When the haze rises
at the beginning of spring,
just as on this day,
to think we shall see it so
is to know what joy can be
Meaning: When I think that we shall greet the hazy beginning of spring just as we do today, year after year, I feel it is a joyful thing.
Commentary: Book Twenty Miscellaneous Poems 4300

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "On the fourth day of the first month of year 6, clansmen gathered at the residence of the Junior Counselor Ōtomo no Yakamochi to offer congratulations and held a banquet; three poems."
When I think that we shall greet the hazy beginning of spring just as today, I find it a joy: the poem states the pleasure of the new year banquet directly. As the close of the three, it carries the wish to repeat this gathering every year to come.
The author, Ōtomo no Ikenushi, was a member of the Ōtomo clan who exchanged many poems with Yakamochi in Etchū. At this time he was a junior assistant of the Left Capital Office.

The first line, "kasumi tatsu," shows the scene of spring and serves as a phrase leading to "spring."
The second line, "haru no hajime o," points to the beginning of the new year, matching the season of the first-month banquet.
The third line, "kyō no goto," "just as today," sets the pleasure of this banquet as the measure.
The fourth line, "mimu to omoeba," with the volitional mu, means "when I think we shall greet spring like this every year."
The closing line, "tanoshi to zo mou," is resolved by zo with the attributive mou. Using "think" twice in one poem, it simply layers the joy.
Author: Ōtomo no Ikenushi
Source: Manyoshu
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