Tatsutagawa momijiba nagaru kannabi no mimuro no yama ni shigure furu rashi - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

竜田川紅葉葉流る神なびの
三室の山に時雨降るらし

Roma-ji: Tatsutagawa momijiba nagaru kannabi no mimuro no yama ni shigure furu rashi
English Translation: The Tatsuta River
carries the red leaves along;
on the sacred peak,
on the hill of Mimuro,
cold showers must now be falling.
Meaning: Autumn leaves are drifting down the Tatsuta River; on the sacred hill of Mimuro, cold showers must be falling.
Commentary: Book Four Winter Poems 219

Headnote: "When the Nara Emperor made an excursion to the Tatsuta River to view the autumn leaves, and I attended him"
Seeing autumn leaves flowing down the Tatsuta River, the poet infers that cold showers must be falling on Mount Mimuro upstream and scattering its leaves. From the river scene before his eyes, his thoughts extend to the unseen showers on the mountain, conveying the richness of the foliage at Tatsuta. According to the headnote, it was composed while the poet attended the Nara Emperor on an excursion to the Tatsuta River to view the autumn leaves. There are various views as to which emperor is meant.
The author, written as Kakinomoto no Hitomaro with a variant character, is Kakinomoto no Hitomaro. A court poet of the Asuka period, he is revered as the sage of poetry and the foremost poet of the Man'yōshū, and he is counted among the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets.
This poem is also included in the second book of autumn poems of the Kokinshū as anonymous, and the tradition attributing it to Hitomaro is not certain.

First line, "Tatsutagawa," is the river flowing through Yamato, famous for its autumn leaves.
Second line, "momijiba nagaru," means "the autumn leaves are flowing," and the poem pauses here. It presents the scene before the eyes.
Third line, "kannabi no," means "where the gods dwell," modifying "Mimuro no yama." Like the final line of 217 in this book, "kannabi no mori," it sings of the sacred precinct of Tatsuta.
Fourth line, "mimuro no yama ni," refers to the mountain where a deity descends, a famed spot for autumn leaves upstream on the Tatsuta River.
Final line, "shigure furu rashi," means "cold showers seem to be falling," with "rashi" an inference based on the leaves flowing down. Like the second line of the preceding poem, "shigure shinurashi," it infers the showers from a sign before the eyes.
Author: Kakinomoto no Hitomaro
Source: Shui Wakashu
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