Takasago no matsu ni sumu tsuru fuyu kureba onoe no shimo ya oki masaru ran - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

高砂の松に住む鶴冬来れば
尾上の霜や置きまさるらん

Roma-ji: Takasago no matsu ni sumu tsuru fuyu kureba onoe no shimo ya oki masaru ran
English Translation: At Takasago
the crane that dwells in the pines—
when the winter comes,
does the frost upon the peak
settle ever thicker there?
Meaning: For the crane dwelling in the pines of Takasago, does the frost on the mountain peak settle ever more thickly when winter comes?
Commentary: Book Four Winter Poems 237

Headnote: "For a folding screen at the house of Lord Kōtoku"
Thinking of the crane that dwells in the pines of Takasago, the poet wonders whether the frost on the peak settles ever more deeply when winter comes. Onto the auspicious pairing of pine and crane, emblems of long life, white frost is laid, painting a winter scene all in white. According to the headnote, like the preceding poem, it was written for a folding screen at the house of Lord Kōtoku, that is, Fujiwara no Tamemitsu.
The author, written as Motosuke, is Kiyohara no Motosuke. A grandson of Kiyohara no Fukayabu, he took part in compiling the Gosenshū and in reading the Man'yōshū as one of the Five Men of the Pear Chamber. He was the father of Sei Shōnagon and is counted among the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets.

First line, "takasago no," means "of Takasago," the place in Harima famed for its pines. It takes up "takasago no" in the third line of the preceding poem.
Second line, "matsu ni sumu tsuru," means "the crane that dwells in the pines," pine and crane being an auspicious pairing signifying long life.
Third line, "fuyu kureba," means "when winter comes."
Fourth line, "onoe no shimo ya," means "the frost on the peak," with "ya" a questioning particle. The whiteness of the frost is laid over the whiteness of the crane.
Final line, "oki masaru ran," means "does it settle ever thicker, I wonder," with "ya" resolved by the attributive "ran."
Author: Kiyohara no Motosuke
Source: Shui Wakashu
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