Yama takami kasumi o wakete chiru hana o yuki to ya yoso no hito wa miruran - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

山高み霞を分けて散る花を
雪とやよその人は見るらん

Roma-ji: Yama takami kasumi o wakete chiru hana o yuki to ya yoso no hito wa miruran
English Translation: The mountain's so high,
the blossoms that part the haze
as they scatter down—
do those who are far away
see them as falling snow?
Meaning: Because the mountain is so high, do people far away see the blossoms that scatter down through the haze as falling snow?
Commentary: Book Three Spring Poems III 90

Headnote: "Topic unknown."
The poet imagines that people far away might take the petals drifting down through the haze from the high mountain for snow. Through the conceit of falling blossoms as snow, the poem depicts the whiteness of flowers dancing in the haze and the breadth of the distant view.
The poet is listed as "anonymous," and the composer's name has not come down to us.

In the first line, the suffix "mi" in "takami" gives the cause: "because the mountain is high." 63 of Book Two also uses "yama takami," blending the color of distant blossoms with the haze.
The second line, "kasumi o wakete," means "passing through the haze that hangs about."
The third line, "chiru hana o," names the petals falling from the mountain.
In the fourth line, "ya" is an interrogative particle forming a kakarimusubi pattern with the attributive "ran" in the last line. The falling blossoms are likened to snow. "Yoso" means a distant place.
In the last line, "ran" is a present conjecture, as the poet wonders how those far away see it.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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