Sara ni mata hana zo furishiku Washi no yama nori no mushiro no kuregata no sora - Senzai Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

さらにまた花ぞ降りしく鷲の山
法の筵の暮れ方の空

Roma-ji: Sara ni mata hana zo furishiku Washi no yama nori no mushiro no kuregata no sora
English Translation: Once again, once more,
the flowers rain thick and fast
on Vulture Peak,
in the sky as evening falls
on the assembly of the Law
Meaning: Once more the flowers come raining down on Vulture Peak, in the evening sky as the assembly of the Law draws to its close.
Commentary: Book Nineteen Buddhist Poems 1246

Headnote: "Composed on the Encouragement of Universal Worthy chapter"
This poem was composed on the chapter on the Encouragement of the Bodhisattva Universal Worthy, the last chapter of the Lotus Sutra, which tells that jeweled lotus flowers rained down as Universal Worthy came from the east. Once more the flowers rain thick on Vulture Peak, in the evening sky of the assembly of the Law, he says. Answering the flowers that fell at the start of the preaching in the Introduction chapter, he shows flowers falling again as the preaching of the Lotus Sutra comes to its end, overlaid with the evening sky at the close of a day, as a scene of solemn splendor. Closing phrase after phrase on nouns, it is a poem rich in lingering overtones.
The author, "Shunzei, Master of the Empress Dowager's Household," is Fujiwara no Shunzei. A son of the Provisional Middle Counselor Fujiwara no Toshitada, he rose to master of the empress dowager's household and later took the tonsure. He compiled this anthology, the Senzai Wakashū, and was the father of Fujiwara no Teika.
It is the eighth poem of the series on the chapters of the Lotus Sutra in order. Where the first poem of the series, 1239, sang of the flowers falling in the Introduction chapter, this one sings of flowers falling again in the Universal Worthy chapter, and "sara ni mata," once more, in the first line marks that answer.

First line, "sara ni mata": "once again," taking up the flowers that fell at the start of the preaching in the Introduction chapter.
Second line, "hana zo furishiku": "furishiku" means to fall thick and fast. "Zo," an emphatic binding particle, closes with the attributive "furishiku." It takes up the flowers of "chiru ga ureshiki" in the fourth line of 1239 in this book.
Third line, "Washi no yama": Vulture Peak, where the Lotus Sutra was preached. The poem pauses here. It is the same name as "Washi no yama" in the first line of 1231 in this book.
Fourth line, "nori no mushiro no": "nori no mushiro" is the seat of preaching, the place of the assembly.
Fifth line, "kuregata no sora": the evening sky, overlaying the close of the preaching of the Lotus Sutra with the close of a day. It ends on a noun.
Author: Fujiwara no Shunzei
Source: Senzai Wakashu
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