Haru chikaku furu shirayuki wa Ogurayama mine ni zo hana no sakari narikeru - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

春近く降る白雪は小倉山
峰にぞ花の盛りなりける

Roma-ji: Haru chikaku furu shirayuki wa Ogurayama mine ni zo hana no sakari narikeru
English Translation: Near to the spring,
the white snow that is falling—
on Mount Ogura,
up on its peaks, the blossoms
are in their fullest bloom
Meaning: With the white snow that falls as spring draws near, on the peaks of Mount Ogura the blossoms are already in full bloom.
Commentary: Book Eight Winter Poems 501

Headnote: "Topic unknown."
The poet says that with the white snow that falls as spring draws near, the blossoms on the peaks of Mount Ogura are in full bloom. Likening the snow piled on the peaks to flowers in full bloom, the poem conveys the nearness of spring.
Like 497 and the preceding poem in this book, it likens snow of the season near spring to blossoms. Mount Ogura, famed for its autumn leaves, is sung as a mountain of snow blossoms.
The poet is listed as "anonymous," and the composer's name has not come down to us.

The first line, "Haru chikaku," means "as spring draws near." Like "haru chikami" in the third line of 497 in this book, it sings of spring's approach.
The second line, "furu shirayuki wa," means "the white snow that falls."
The third line, "Ogurayama," is a mountain at Saga in Yamashiro, a poetic place famed for autumn leaves.
In the fourth line, "zo" is an emphatic particle: "on the peaks, the blossoms."
The last line, "sakari narikeru," means "are in full bloom, I see," closing with the attributive "keru" in answer to "zo" in the fourth line.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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