Fuji no hana miya no uchi ni wa murasaki no kumo ka to nomi zo ayamatarekeru - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

藤の花宮の内には紫の
雲かとのみぞあやまたれける

Roma-ji: Fuji no hana miya no uchi ni wa murasaki no kumo ka to nomi zo ayamatarekeru
English Translation: The wisteria flowers
here within the palace walls
are taken by all
for nothing but purple clouds,
mistaken by every eye.
Meaning: Within the palace, the wisteria blossoms are mistaken for nothing other than purple clouds.
Commentary: Book Sixteen Miscellaneous Spring Poems 1068

Headnote: "In the Engi era, when a banquet was held for the wisteria of the Fujitsubo and the courtiers composed poems"
The poet says that within the palace, the wisteria blossoms are mistaken for nothing but purple clouds. The headnote shows it was composed when a banquet was held for the wisteria of the Fujitsubo and the courtiers composed poems. Purple clouds were taken as an auspicious sign, and likening the wisteria blooming in the palace to them, it celebrates the prosperity of the reign. It shares with the next poem, 1069, the device of likening wisteria to purple clouds.
The author, written as "Kuniaki, Provisional Master of the Empress Dowager's Household," is Fujiwara no Kuniaki. A son of Fujiwara no Motona, he served as Provisional Master of the Empress Dowager's Household among other posts and rose to the Junior Third Rank.

First line, "fuji no hana," means "the wisteria blossoms," continuing the wisteria of the preceding poem, 1067.
Second line, "miya no uchi ni wa," means "within the palace," speaking of the Fujitsubo of the headnote.
Third line, "murasaki no," means "purple," the same word as the first lines of the next poems, 1069 and 1070, "murasaki no."
Fourth line, "kumo ka to nomi zo," means "as nothing but clouds," with the binding particle "zo" resolved by the attributive form "keru" in the final line. It shares the image of purple clouds with the first and second lines of the next poem, 1069, "murasaki no kumo to zo miyuru."
Final line, "ayamatarekeru," means "are mistaken," with "re" the continuative of the spontaneous auxiliary "ru" and "keru" exclamatory.
Author: Fujiwara no Kuniaki
Source: Shui Wakashu
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