Miyuki furu fuyu wa kyō nomi uguisu no nakamu harue wa asu ni shi aru rashi

み雪降る冬は今日のみ鴬の
鳴かむ春へは明日にしあるらし

Roma-ji: Miyuki furu fuyu wa kyō nomi uguisu no nakamu harue wa asu ni shi aru rashi
English Translation: Winter with its snows
falling down is just today;
spring, when warblers sing,
it would seem that it begins
tomorrow, with the new day
Meaning: Winter, with its falling snow, is only today; the spring when warblers sing, it seems, begins tomorrow.
Commentary: Book Twenty Miscellaneous Poems 4488

Headnote: "On the eighteenth day of the twelfth month, a banquet at the residence of Prince Mikata, Chief Inspector of the Treasuries; three poems."
Winter with its falling snow is only today; spring when warblers sing begins, it seems, tomorrow: the poem rejoices on the eve of the beginning of spring. According to the headnote, it comes from a banquet at Prince Mikata's residence on the eighteenth of the twelfth month. The left note says it is by the host, Prince Mikata. Since the next day fell on the calendar's beginning of spring, it celebrates a banquet on the boundary between winter and spring.
The author, Prince Mikata, a member of the imperial family, was at this time Chief Inspector of the Treasuries.

The first line, "miyuki furu," with the prefix mi, means "where snow falls."
The second line, "fuyu wa kyō nomi," "winter is only today," ends the first sentence.
The third line, "uguisu no," names the bird heralding spring.
The fourth line, "nakamu harue wa," "the spring when it will sing," pairs with "winter" in the second line.
The closing line, "asu ni shi aru rashi," uses rashi, inference from evidence: it seems to be tomorrow. "Today" in the second line and "tomorrow" in the last also form a pair.
Author: Prince Mikata
Source: Manyoshu
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