Tatsutayama chiru momijiba o kite mireba aki wa fumoto ni kaeru narikeri - Senzai Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

竜田山散る紅葉葉を来て見れば
秋は麓に帰るなりけり

Roma-ji: Tatsutayama chiru momijiba o kite mireba aki wa fumoto ni kaeru narikeri
English Translation: On Mount Tatsuta,
coming here to see the leaves
that scatter down,
autumn to the mountain's foot
returns, I come to know
Meaning: Coming to see the autumn leaves falling on Mount Tatsuta, I find that autumn returns to the foot of the mountain.
Commentary: Book Five Autumn Poems II 385

Headnote: "Composed on autumn leaves for the palace poetry contest of the second year of Jōryaku"
Composed on the topic of autumn leaves for the poetry contest held at Emperor Shirakawa's palace in the second year of Jōryaku (1078). Coming to see the autumn leaves falling on Mount Tatsuta, the poet says, he found that autumn returns from the heights to the foot of the mountain. Seeing the leaves scattering down from the heights as autumn going home to the foot of the mountain, he depicts the departing season.
The author, "Saki no Chūnagon Masafusa," was the son of Ōe no Narihira. Renowned as a scholar, he served as Provisional Middle Counselor and Acting Governor-General of Dazaifu. A poem of his is included in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu.
306 of this book was also composed at the same palace contest of the second year of Jōryaku. And where 373 of this book saw the autumn leaves at the "village at the foot" of Mount Tatsuta as the storm's message, this poem says autumn itself returns to the foot of the mountain with the falling leaves.

First line, "Tatsutayama": a famed place for autumn leaves in Yamato, the same first line as 367 and 373 of this book.
Second line, "chiru momijiba o": naming what he sees.
Third line, "kite mireba": "coming and seeing for myself," the occasion of discovery. Like "kyō mireba" in 370 of this book, it sings of what is learned by seeing.
Fourth line, "aki wa fumoto ni": "fumoto" is the foot of a mountain, the same word as "fumoto no sato" in 373 of this book.
Fifth line, "kaeru narikeri": "nari" is assertive and "keri" expresses realization, "autumn goes home to the foot," closing with autumn personified.
Author: Oe no Masafusa
Source: Senzai Wakashu
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