簗見れば川風いたく吹く時ぞ
波の花さへ落ちまさりける
波の花さへ落ちまさりける
- Roma-ji
-
Yana mireba kawakaze itaku fuku toki zo nami no hana sae ochimasarikeru
- English Translation
-
When I see the weir,
I find that when the river wind
blows hard upon it,
even the flowers of the waves
fall upon it all the more.
- Meaning
- Looking at the weir, I see that when the river wind blows hard, not only the blossoms but even the white flowers of the waves fall upon it all the more.
- Commentary
-
Book Sixteen Miscellaneous Spring Poems 1061
Headnote: "For an imperial screen in the Engi era"
The poet says that looking at the fish weir, when the river wind blows hard, not only the scattering blossoms but even the flowers of the waves fall upon it all the more. The headnote shows it was written for a screen painting in the reign of Emperor Daigo. It depicts cherry petals scattered by the wind and white breaking waves falling together onto a weir set in the river. Following the preceding poem, 1060, it likens white waves to flowers.
The author, Ki no Tsurayuki, was the leading compiler of the Kokinshū, wrote its kana preface and the Tosa Diary. He is counted among the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets.
First line, "yana mireba," means "when I look at the weir."
Second line, "kawakaze itaku," means "the river wind fiercely."
Third line, "fuku toki zo," means "when it blows," with the binding particle "zo" resolved by the attributive form "keru" in the final line.
Fourth line, "nami no hana sae," means "even the flowers of the waves," with "sae" adding "besides the falling cherry blossoms." It shares "nami no hana" with the fourth line of the preceding poem, 1060, "nami no hana o mo."
Final line, "ochimasarikeru," means "fall all the more," with "keru" exclamatory.
- Author
- Ki no Tsurayuki
- Source
- Shui Wakashu
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