Isonokami Furuno no kusa mo aki wa nao iro koto ni koso aratamarikere - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

石上ふるのの草も秋はなほ
色ことにこそあらたまりけれ

Roma-ji: Isonokami Furuno no kusa mo aki wa nao iro koto ni koso aratamarikere
English Translation: At Isonokami
even the grasses of Furu,
old as their name is,
in autumn still are renewed
in colors all their own
Meaning: Even the grasses of Furu at Isonokami, old as their name may be, are still renewed in autumn, each in a color all its own.
Commentary: Book Seven Autumn Poems III 368

Headnote: "Topic unknown."
The poet says that the grasses of the field of Furu at Isonokami, though their name means "old," are still renewed in remarkable colors when autumn comes. Setting "old" against "renewed," it wittily captures the changing colors of the autumn fields.
From 368 to 371, poems follow one another on the changing colors of the grasses of the autumn fields.
The poet, Ariwara no Motokata, was a son of Ariwara no Muneyana and a grandson of Ariwara no Narihira. He is known as the author of "toshi no uchi ni haru wa kinikeri," the opening poem of the Kokin Wakashū.

The first line, "Isonokami," is a place name in Yamato and a pillow word for "furu."
In the second line, "furu" is a pivot word meaning both the place name "Furu" and "furu," to grow old: "even the grasses of the field of Furu."
The third line, "aki wa nao," means "in autumn still."
In the fourth line, "koto ni" means "especially," and "koso" is an emphatic particle.
The last line, "aratamarikere," means "they are renewed," with "koso" in the fourth line and the realis "kere" forming a kakarimusubi pattern. Set against "furu," old, in the second line, it shows the surprise of something old made new.
Author: Ariwara no Motokata
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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