吹く風をならしの山の桜花
のどけくぞ見る散らじと思へば
のどけくぞ見る散らじと思へば
- Roma-ji
-
Fuku kaze o Narashi no yama no sakurabana nodokeku zo miru chiraji to omoeba
- English Translation
-
The wind as it blows
Narashi Mountain tames, and so
its cherry blossoms
I can gaze at with calm heart,
for I think they will not fall
- Meaning
- The cherry blossoms of Mount Narashi, whose very name means taming the blowing wind, I can gaze upon with an easy heart, for surely they will not scatter.
- Commentary
-
Book Two Spring Poems II 53
Headnote: "Composed on cherry blossoms."
Reading in the name "Mount Narashi" the sense of "taming" the blowing wind, the poet gazes at its cherries at ease, sure that the blossoms of a mountain that tames the wind will not scatter. Making witty use of the meaning hidden in the place name, the poem is freed from the anxiety of losing the flowers.
According to the headnote, it was composed on the topic of cherry blossoms.
The poet is listed as "anonymous," and the composer's name has not come down to us.
The first line, "Fuku kaze o," presents the wind that scatters blossoms and leads into "narashi."
In the second line, "narashi" is a pivot word joining "narashi," taming the wind, with the mountain called Mount Narashi. There are several theories about where Mount Narashi lay.
The third line, "sakurabana," names the cherries blooming on Mount Narashi.
In the fourth line, "nodokeku" means calmly, at ease, and "zo" forms a kakarimusubi pattern with the attributive "miru." The poem pauses here.
The last line, "chiraji to omoeba," uses "ji," negative conjecture, in an inversion giving the reason. It pairs with the next poem, 54, which fears the blossoms will scatter within a single night.
- Author
- Unknown Poet
- Source
- Gosen Wakashu
- Prev Poem
-
Minu hito no katami gatera wa orazariki mi ni nazuraeru hana ni shi araneba
- Next Poem
-
Sakurabana kyō yoku mitemu kuretake no hitoyo no hodo ni chiri mo koso sure