Iwa no ue no matsu ni tatoemu kimigimi wa yo ni marera naru tane zo to omoeba - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

岩の上の松にたとへむ君々は
世にまれらなる種ぞと思へば

Roma-ji: Iwa no ue no matsu ni tatoemu kimigimi wa yo ni marera naru tane zo to omoeba
English Translation: To the pine that grows
upon the rock I'll liken
you, my noble lords,
for I think you are a seed
rare indeed in all the world.
Meaning: I will liken you two princes to the pine that grows upon the rock, for I think you are seeds of a lineage rare in all the world.
Commentary: Book Eighteen Miscellaneous Congratulatory Poems 1165

Headnote: "Sent around the time of the trouser-donning ceremony of the fifth and sixth princes of Retired Emperor Reizei"
The poet says he will liken the two princes of Retired Emperor Reizei to a pine growing on a rock, since they are seeds of a lineage rare in the world. The headnote shows it was sent around the time the fifth and sixth princes of Retired Emperor Reizei held their trouser-donning ceremony. Laying the firmness and long life of a pine rooted on rock over the lasting glory of the young princes, it praises their noble birth. Following the preceding poem, 1164, it is a congratulatory poem on the pine.
The author, written as "Minister of the Left," is Fujiwara no Michinaga. A son of Fujiwara no Kaneie, he later rose to Regent and Chancellor and brought the Fujiwara clan to its height. He was Minister of the Left around the time the Shūishū was compiled.

First line, "iwa no ue no," means "growing upon the rock," a hypermetric line of six syllables. It speaks of the firmness of a pine rooted in rock.
Second line, "matsu ni tatoemu," means "I will liken you to the pine," with "mu" an auxiliary of intention. The poem breaks after this second line. It shares the word "matsu" with the first line of the preceding poem, 1164, "matsu no ne ni."
Third line, "kimigimi wa," means "you, my lords," pointing to the two princes, the repeated "kimi" naming them side by side.
Fourth line, "yo ni marera naru," means "rare in all the world," speaking of the princes' noble birth.
Final line, "tane zo to omoeba," means "since I think you are a seed," with "ba" after the perfective form expressing cause, giving in inverted order the reason for the likening in the second line. "Tane," seed, is an associated word of the pine.
Author: Fujiwara no Michinaga
Source: Shui Wakashu
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