Hatsuyuki wa chie ni furishike koishiku no ōkaru ware wa mitsutsu shinowamu

初雪は千重に降りしけ恋ひしくの
多かる我れは見つつ偲はむ

Roma-ji: Hatsuyuki wa chie ni furishike koishiku no ōkaru ware wa mitsutsu shinowamu
English Translation: First snow of the year,
fall and pile a thousandfold!
I, whose longings are
so many, will gaze on you
and think fondly of my friend
Meaning: First snow, pile up a thousandfold! I, so full of longing, will gaze at you and think of my friend.
Commentary: Book Twenty Miscellaneous Poems 4475

Headnote: "On the twenty-third day, a banquet at the residence of Ōtomo no Ikenushi, junior secretary of the Ministry of Ceremonial; two poems."
First snow, pile up a thousandfold; I, so full of longing, will gaze and think of you: a poem of affection for the host, Ikenushi. According to the headnote, it comes from a banquet at Ikenushi's residence on the twenty-third of the eleventh month. The left note attributes it to Ōhara no Imaki, senior secretary of the Ministry of Military Affairs. In the heavy first snow he sees his longing for the host piling up.
The author, Ōhara no Imaki, a member of the Ōhara clan, was an official who was a close friend of Yakamochi. At this time he was senior secretary of the Ministry of Military Affairs.

The first line, "hatsuyuki wa," "the first snow of winter," is the scene at the banquet.
The second line, "chie ni furishike," "fall a thousandfold," calls to the snow in the imperative. The poem pauses here.
The third line, "koishiku no," "of longing," uses koishiku, a nominal form of kou.
The fourth line, "ōkaru ware wa," "I, who have so much," shows the abundance of his longing.
The closing line, "mitsutsu shinowamu," "I will gaze and think of you," with the volitional mu.
Author: Ōhara no Imaki
Source: Manyoshu
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