Iwau koto ari to naru beshi kyō naredo toshi no konata ni haru mo kinikeri - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

祝ふこと有りとなるべし今日なれど
年のこなたに春も来にけり

Roma-ji: Iwau koto ari to naru beshi kyō naredo toshi no konata ni haru mo kinikeri
English Translation: There must be, it seems,
something here to celebrate—
though it is today,
still this side of the new year,
spring has come already
Meaning: There must be something to celebrate—for though it is only today, still this side of the new year, spring has already arrived.
Commentary: Book Twenty Congratulatory Poems 1385

Headnote: "Around the Twelfth Month, at a place where someone came of age."
The poet says there must be cause for celebration, for though it is still the old year today, spring has come. At a coming-of-age held in the Twelfth Month on the day spring began, he playfully explains spring's early arrival as drawn by the celebration, blessing the happy day.
According to the headnote, it was composed around the Twelfth Month at a place where a coming-of-age ceremony was held. The arrival of spring within the old year matches the poem by Ariwara no Motokata that opens the Kokinshu, "Toshi no uchi ni haru wa kinikeri." With this poem the congratulatory poems end, and poems of mourning begin with the next poem.
The poet, "Tsurayuki," is Ki no Tsurayuki. A son of Ki no Mochiyuki, he was the chief compiler of the Kokinshu and wrote its Japanese preface. He is also known as the author of the Tosa Diary, and the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu includes his poem "Hito wa isa kokoro mo shirazu furusato wa."

The first line, "Iwau koto," means "a thing to celebrate," the coming of age of the headnote.
The second line, "ari to naru beshi," means "that must be why," with "beshi" conjecture. The poem pauses here.
The third line, "kyō naredo," means "though it is today," still the Twelfth Month, with "do" concessive.
The fourth line, "toshi no konata ni," means "this side of the new year."
The last line, "haru mo kinikeri," means "spring too has come, I see," with "keri" for realization. The congratulatory poems close on the coming of spring.
Author: Ki no Tsurayuki
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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