竜田川秋にしなれば山近み
流るる水も紅葉しにけり
流るる水も紅葉しにけり
- Roma-ji
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Tatsutagawa aki ni shi nareba yama chikami nagaruru mizu mo momiji shinikeri
- English Translation
-
Tatsuta River—
now that autumn has come round,
so near the mountains,
even the flowing water
has turned to autumn colors
- Meaning
- Now that autumn has come, the Tatsuta River lies so near the mountains that even its flowing water has turned to autumn colors.
- Commentary
-
Book Seven Autumn Poems III 414
Headnote: "Topic unknown."
The poet says that now that autumn has come, because the Tatsuta River lies so near the colored hills, even its flowing water has turned to autumn colors. It is a witty poem seeing the water, reddened by the leaves floating on it, as itself turning color.
Where the preceding poem inferred from the river's color that the leaves were falling in the hills, this one sees the river water itself as having turned color.
The poet, called "Tsurayuki," is Ki no Tsurayuki. A son of Ki no Mochiyuki, he was the leading compiler of the Kokin Wakashū and wrote its kana preface. He served as governor of Tosa among other posts, is known as the author of the Tosa Diary, and is counted among the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets.
The first line, "Tatsutagawa," is the river at the foot of Mount Tatsuta, the same opening as the preceding poem.
In the second line, "shi" is an emphatic particle: "since it has become autumn."
The third line, "yama chikami," means "since the hills are near," in the mi-construction.
The fourth line, "nagaruru mizu mo," means "even the flowing water."
In the last line, "keri" expresses realization: "it has turned to autumn colors." It is the same last line as 359 of this book, but here it is the water, not the hills, that turns color.
- Author
- Ki no Tsurayuki
- Source
- Gosen Wakashu
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Tatsutagawa iro kurenai ni narinikeri yama no momiji zo ima wa chirurashi
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Momijiba no nagaruru aki wa kawa goto ni nishiki arau to hito ya miruramu