Ko no ha chiru ura ni nami tatsu aki nareba momiji ni hana mo sakimagaikeri - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

木の葉散る浦に浪立つ秋なれば
紅葉に花も咲きまがひけり

Roma-ji: Ko no ha chiru ura ni nami tatsu aki nareba momiji ni hana mo sakimagaikeri
English Translation: Since it is autumn,
when the leaves fall on the bay
and the waves rise high,
with the colored leaves the flowers
of foam bloom all confused
Meaning: Since it is autumn, when leaves fall on the bay and waves rise, the flowers of foam bloom mingled with the colored leaves.
Commentary: Book Seven Autumn Poems III 418

Headnote: "Topic unknown."
The poet says that since it is autumn, when leaves fall on the bay and waves rise, the white flowers of foam bloom mingled with the floating leaves. It likens the red of leaves floating on the bay and the white of the wave crests to leaves and flowers blooming intermingled.
Where the preceding poem imagined autumn leaves at the bottom of the sea, this one sings of leaves floating on a bay by the shore.
The poet, Fujiwara no Okikaze, was a son of Fujiwara no Michinari and served as a junior official of Sagami, among other posts. He also excelled at music and is counted among the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets. His "tare o ka mo shiru hito ni semu Takasago no" is included in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu.

The first line, "Ko no ha chiru," means "where leaves fall."
The second line, "ura ni nami tatsu," means "waves rise on the bay."
The third line, "aki nareba," means "since it is autumn."
In the fourth line, "hana" is the "flowers of the waves," the white crests likened to flowers.
In the last line, "magau" means to mingle so as to be indistinguishable: "they bloom all intermingled."
Author: Fujiwara no Okikaze
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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