Toyama ni wa shiba no shitaba mo chirihatete ochi no takane ni yuki furinikeri - Senzai Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

外山には柴の下葉も散り果てて
遠の高嶺に雪降りにけり

Roma-ji: Toyama ni wa shiba no shitaba mo chirihatete ochi no takane ni yuki furinikeri
English Translation: On the nearby hills
even the lower leaves of brush
have all fallen away,
and on the far high peaks
the snow has come at last
Meaning: On the nearby hills even the lower leaves of the brush have all fallen, and on the distant high peaks snow has fallen.
Commentary: Book Six Winter Poems 453

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Composed as a poem on snow at the poetry contest held at the Kayanoin mansion of the Kyōgoku Former Grand Minister"
Composed on the topic of snow at the Kayanoin poetry contest. On the nearby hills, the poet says, even the lower leaves of the brush have all fallen, and on the distant high peaks snow has fallen. Setting the fallen leaves of the near hills against the snow of the far mountains, he depicts the deepening of winter in two scenes, one near and one far.
The author, "Fujiwara no Akitsuna Ason," was the son of Fujiwara no Kanetsune. His mother was Ben no Menoto. He served as Governor of Sanuki among other posts and was called the Sanuki Lay Priest.
The three poems from 452 to 454 are poems on snow from the poetry contest held by the Kyōgoku Former Grand Minister, Fujiwara no Morozane, at his Kayanoin mansion, known as the Kayanoin Seven-Round Poetry Contest. It was held in the eighth year of Kanji (1094).

First line, "toyama ni wa": "toyama" are the hills near a village, set against the "ochi no takane" of the fourth line.
Second line, "shiba no shitaba mo": "shiba" is the brushwood of hills and fields, and "shitaba" are the lower leaves, the last to remain.
Third line, "chirihatete": "having fallen completely."
Fourth line, "ochi no takane ni": "ochi" means far off. With the "toyama" of the first line it sets near against far and low against high. The same word "takane" as in the preceding poem, 452, it also answers "ochi no toyama" in 409 of this book.
Fifth line, "yuki furinikeri": "keri" expresses realization, "snow has fallen."
Author: Fujiwara no Akitsuna
Source: Senzai Wakashu
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