たちよらぬ春の霞を頼まれよ
花のあたりと見ればなるらん
花のあたりと見ればなるらん
- Roma-ji
-
Tachiyoranu haru no kasumi o tanomare yo hana no atari to mireba naruran
- English Translation
-
The haze of springtime
that does not rise and come near—
trust it all the more;
it sees that you are where
the flowers are, I suppose
- Meaning
- Put your trust in the spring haze that does not come near; it must be that it sees your house as a place of flowers and holds back.
- Commentary
-
Book Three Spring Poems III 114
Headnote: "Reply."
Reproached in the preceding poem for not stopping by even on the pretext of the flowers, he replies that she should rather trust the haze that keeps away, for it holds back seeing that hers is a place of flowers. Likening himself to the haze that hides flowers and her to the blossoms, he presents his absence as consideration.
It forms an exchange with the preceding poem, 113.
The poet, Minamoto no Kiyokage, was a son of Emperor Yōzei who left the imperial family with the surname Minamoto and rose to Major Counselor.
The first line, "Tachiyoranu," takes up the last line of the preceding poem, 113, unchanged. "Tachi" is a pivot word joining the haze "rising" and "tachiyoru," to stop by.
The second line, "haru no kasumi o," likens himself, who does not stop by, to the spring haze.
The third line, "tanomare yo," means "please trust it," asking her in the imperative. The poem pauses here.
The fourth line, "hana no atari to," likens her dwelling to a place of flowers. Haze was thought to hide flowers, and 73 of Book Two shows the conceit of haze shutting in the blossoms' color.
In the last line, "ran" conjectures a cause: "it must be because it sees you as near the flowers," giving the reason for keeping away.
- Author
- Minamoto no Kiyokage
- Source
- Gosen Wakashu
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Ware o koso tou ni ukarame harugasumi hana ni tsukete mo tachiyoranu kana
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Kimi miyo to tazunete oreru yamazakura furinishi iro to omowazaranan