Mezurashiki kyō no Kasuga no yaotome o kami mo ureshi to shinobazarame ya - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

めづらしき今日の春日の八乙女を
神もうれしと偲ばざらめや

Roma-ji: Mezurashiki kyō no Kasuga no yaotome o kami mo ureshi to shinobazarame ya
English Translation: These rare maidens
dancing at Kasuga today,
the eight shrine maidens:
how could the gods not delight
and cherish them in their hearts?
Meaning: Watching the eight maidens dance at Kasuga on this rare and splendid day, how could the gods themselves not rejoice and hold them dear?
Commentary: Book Ten Kagura Songs 620

Headnote: "When the Teiji Retired Emperor made a progress to Kasuga in the twentieth year of Engi, and the provincial governor composed and presented twenty-one poems"
The poem asks how the gods could fail to rejoice in and cherish the dance of the eight maidens at Kasuga on this rare day. The headnote shows it was one of twenty-one poems composed and presented by the provincial governor when the Teiji Retired Emperor made a progress to Kasuga in the twentieth year of Engi. It praises the occasion, saying that the god of Kasuga will surely rejoice in the kagura on the special day of the retired emperor's visit.
This is the closing poem of the book. Where the opening poem, 576, asked in whose reign worship before the gods first began, this poem sings that the gods too rejoice in today's rite, closing the book of kagura songs with the beginning of worship and present joy.
The author, Fujiwara no Tadafusa, was a son of Fujiwara no Okitsugu and served as Master of the Right Capital Office among other posts. He excelled at music and is said to have composed pieces for court dance. The Teiji Retired Emperor is the Retired Emperor Uda.

First line, "mezurashiki," means "rare and splendid," speaking of the special day of the retired emperor's visit.
Second line, "kyō no Kasuga no," means "of Kasuga today," the site of the Kasuga Shrine in Yamato.
Third line, "yaotome o," means "the eight maidens," the girls who serve the gods and dance kagura.
Fourth line, "kami mo ureshi to," means "the gods too, glad," sharing the word "ureshi" with the final line of the preceding poem, 619, "miru zo ureshiki."
Final line, "shinobazarame ya," means "how could they not cherish them? surely they will," with "me" the perfective form of the conjectural "mu" and "ya" rhetorical.
Author: Fujiwara no Tadanobu
Source: Shui Wakashu
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