今日よりは荻の焼原かき分けて
若菜摘みにと誰を誘はん
若菜摘みにと誰を誘はん
- Roma-ji
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Kyō yori wa ogi no yakehara kakiwakete wakana tsumi ni to tare o sasowan
- English Translation
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From this day onward,
through the burnt fields of reed grass
pushing my way through,
"Come pick young greens with me"—
whom, I wonder, shall I ask?
- Meaning
- From today on, pushing my way through the burnt fields of reeds, whom shall I invite to come gathering young greens with me?
- Commentary
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Book One Spring Poems I 3
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Composed on the day spring began."
Spring has begun, and from this day the poet imagines pushing through the reed fields burned off in early spring to gather young greens, wondering whom to invite. The poem frankly reveals his anticipation of spring outings and his wish for someone to share them with.
Like the preceding poem, it was composed on the first day of spring. It sings of the joy that the pleasures of the fields, shut away all winter, are now beginning.
The poet, called "Prince Kanemori," is Taira no Kanemori. A great-great-grandson of Emperor Kōkō and son of Prince Atsuyuki, he left the imperial family in the fourth year of Tenryaku and received the surname Taira, later becoming governor of Suruga. He is counted among the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets.
The first line, "From this day onward," shows the season renewed with the first day of spring. Like the preceding poem, 2, it starts from the beginning of spring by the calendar.
The second line, "the burnt fields of reed grass," refers to reed fields burned off in early spring, calling up young greens sprouting from the ashes.
The third line, "pushing my way through," describes parting the charred reed stalks as one walks.
The fourth line, "pick young greens," names the gathering of young greens, a typical event in the spring fields. This theme leads into the poems on the Day of the Rat that follow.
In the last line, "whom shall I ask," the auxiliary "n" expresses intention and conjecture, as the poet ponders whom to take along.
- Author
- Taira no Kanemori
- Source
- Gosen Wakashu
- Prev Poem
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Haru tatsu to kiki tsuru kara ni Kasugayama kie aenu yuki no hana to miyu ramu
- Next Poem
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Shirakumo no ue shiru kyō zo harusame no furu ni kai aru mi to wa shiri nuru