Yorozuyo no shimo ni mo karenu shiragiku o ushiroyasuku mo kazashitsuru kana - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

万代の霜にも枯れぬ白菊を
うしろやすくもかざしつるかな

Roma-ji: Yorozuyo no shimo ni mo karenu shiragiku o ushiroyasuku mo kazashitsuru kana
English Translation: Through ten thousand years
never withered by the frost,
these white chrysanthemums
with a heart at ease I wear
as garlands in my hair
Meaning: White chrysanthemums that no frost can wither through ten thousand years—with a heart at ease, I have set them in my hair.
Commentary: Book Twenty Congratulatory Poems 1368

Headnote: "When the Eighth Princess held a celebration of Prince Motoyoshi's fortieth year, breaking off chrysanthemum flowers to wear in the hair."
The poet says he has, with a heart at ease, put in his hair white chrysanthemums that no frost of ten thousand years can wither. Overlaying the prince's long life on chrysanthemums that frost cannot kill, he celebrates that long life without a care for what lies ahead.
According to the headnote, it was composed when the Eighth Princess held a celebration of Prince Motoyoshi's fortieth year, and the poet broke off chrysanthemums to wear in his hair. The fortieth-year celebration honored a person's longevity and was repeated every ten years thereafter. The book of congratulatory poems opens with a poem on chrysanthemums, emblem of long life. Prince Motoyoshi was a son of Emperor Yōzei, and the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu includes his poem "Wabinureba ima hata onaji Naniwa naru."
The poet, Fujiwara no Korehira, given in the text as "Lord Fujiwara no Korehira," was a son of Fujiwara no Toshiyuki and rose through posts such as Middle Captain of the Inner Palace Guards to Consultant.

The first line, "Yorozuyo no," means "of ten thousand ages." Placing this word of blessing at the head of the book, the collection opens its congratulatory poems with a wish for long life.
The second line, "shimo ni mo karenu," means "never withered even by frost," with "nu" the attributive of the negative "zu."
The third line, "shiragiku o," means "white chrysanthemums," a flower believed to lengthen one's years.
The fourth line, "ushiroyasuku mo," means "with no fear for what follows," free of any doubt about the prince's long life.
The last line, "kazashitsuru kana," means "I have worn them in my hair," with "kana" exclamatory. It takes up "breaking off to wear in the hair" in the headnote.
Author: Fujiwara no Korehira
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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