神奈備の御室の山を今日見れば
下草かけて色づきにけり
下草かけて色づきにけり
- Roma-ji
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Kannabi no mimuro no yama o kyō mireba shitakusa kakete irozukinikeri
- English Translation
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The sacred mountain,
Mimuro, when I gaze on it
on this very day,
down even to the undergrowth
it has taken on its hues.
- Meaning
- Looking today at sacred Mount Mimuro, I see that it has colored all the way down to the undergrowth.
- Commentary
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Book Three Autumn Poems 188
Headnote: "From among three hundred sixty poems"
Gazing today at Mount Mimuro, where the gods dwell, the poet sees that the color has spread not only through the trees but even to the undergrowth. The whole mountain dyed in autumn hues is portrayed by following the color down to the smallest detail, the grass beneath the trees. According to the headnote, it is one of the three hundred sixty poems composed by the author.
Sone no Yoshitada was a poet of the mid-Heian period. Called Sotan because he served as a secretary of Tango Province, he was known for his fresh style and is counted among the Later Thirty-Six Immortal Poets.
First line, "kannabi no," means "sacred, where the gods descend," and modifies Mount Mimuro.
Second line, "mimuro no yama o," refers to Mount Mimuro, a poetic place in Yamato famous for autumn leaves.
Third line, "kyō mireba," means "when I look today."
Fourth line, "shitakusa kakete," means "down to the undergrowth." Like the lower leaves of the bush clover in the preceding poem, it turns attention to coloring that reaches the lowest parts.
Final line, "irozukinikeri," means "it has taken on color," with "keri" expressing the exclamation of realization.
- Author
- Sone no Yoshitada
- Source
- Shui Wakashu
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Kaze samumi waga karakoromo utsu toki zo hagi no shitaba mo iro masarikeru
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Momiji senu tokiwa no yama wa fuku kaze no oto ni ya aki o kikiwataruran