一年に重なる春のあらばこそ
二度花を見むと頼まめ
二度花を見むと頼まめ
- Roma-ji
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Hitotose ni kasanaru haru no araba koso futatabi hana o mimu to tanomame
- English Translation
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If within one year
there were springtimes twice over,
only then could I
trust that I would see once more
the flowers bloom again
- Meaning
- Only if spring came twice within a single year could I count on seeing the blossoms a second time.
- Commentary
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Book Three Spring Poems III 97
Headnote: "Topic unknown."
If spring came twice a year, one could hope to see the flowers again; since it does not, the present blossoms are precious. By positing the impossible, the poem heightens regret for flowers seen only once.
The poet is listed as "anonymous," and the composer's name has not come down to us. The text gives the poet as "yomibito mo," which is treated here as "anonymous."
The text gives the fourth line as "futatabi hana o," which does not match "futatabi hana mo" in the kana reading line. The wording of the text is followed here.
The first line, "Hitotose ni," means "within one year." 109 of this book also begins with "Hitotose ni" and shares the word "futatabi," twice, singing of flowers that bloom only once a year.
The second line, "kasanaru haru no," speaks of spring coming round twice. 135 of this book sings of a year with an intercalary Third Month and thus a longer spring, echoing this play on the length of spring.
In the third line, "ba" is conditional, and "koso" forms a kakarimusubi pattern with the perfective "me" in the last line.
The fourth line, "futatabi hana o," means "the flowers once more."
In the last line, "me" is the perfective form of the conjectural "mu": "then I might count on seeing them." Behind it lies the knowledge that this cannot be.
- Author
- Unknown Poet
- Source
- Gosen Wakashu
- Prev Poem
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Kazasedomo oi mo kakurenu kono haru zo hana no omote wa fusetsu beranaru
- Next Poem
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Haru kureba saku chō koto o nureginu ni kisuru bakari no hana ni zo arikeru