Aki kureba nomose ni mushi no orimidaru koe no aya o ba tare ka kiruran - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

秋来れば野もせに虫の織り乱る
声の綾をば誰か着るらん

Roma-ji: Aki kureba nomose ni mushi no orimidaru koe no aya o ba tare ka kiruran
English Translation: When autumn comes round,
across the breadth of the fields
the insects weave in tangles
a brocade of all their voices—
who, I wonder, will wear it
Meaning: When autumn comes, the insects weave a brocade of voices in tangles across the whole breadth of the fields—who, I wonder, will wear it?
Commentary: Book Five Autumn Poems I 262

Headnote: "Topic unknown."
Likening the voices of insects crying in a tangle across the fields when autumn comes to a twill brocade woven in confusion, the poet wonders who will wear it. It is a witty poem comparing the mingling of many insect voices to a patterned silk.
The poet, Fujiwara no Motoyoshi, was an official of the early to mid-Heian period. His poems are included in the Gosen Wakashū, but little is known of his life.

The first line, "Aki kureba," means "when autumn comes," the same opening as 244 of this book.
In the second line, "nomose" means "so that the fields seem narrow," "across the whole field."
The third line, "orimidaru," means "weaving in tangles," likening the mingling of insect voices to weaving. It recalls "koe midarekeri" in 257 of this book.
The fourth line, "koe no aya o ba," means "the brocade of voices," and "ori," weaving, and "aya," twill, are associated words.
In the last line, "ka" is an interrogative particle forming a kakarimusubi pattern with the attributive "ran": "who will wear it?" "Kiru," to wear, is also an associated word of "aya."
Author: Fujiwara no Motoyoshi
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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