雪ふれは木々の木のはも春ならて
をしなへ梅の花そ咲ける
をしなへ梅の花そ咲ける
- Roma-ji
-
Yuki fureba kigi no konoha mo haru narade oshinabe ume no hana zo sakeru
- English Translation
-
Since the snow has fallen,
on the leaves of all the trees,
though it is not spring,
everywhere you look the plum
has burst into bloom
- Meaning
- Now that the snow has fallen, plum blossoms have bloomed everywhere on the leaves of the trees, though it is not yet spring.
- Commentary
-
45 Plum Blossoms of Snow
After their exchange about the seat of the Law, the two passed their days exchanging poems. On a day of heavy snow, the prince sent a poem attached to a branch laden with snow.
The woman is Izumi Shikibu, daughter of Ōe no Masamune and, as the wife of Tachibana no Michisada, Governor of Izumi, mother of Koshikibu no Naishi. The Prince of the Dazaifu is Prince Atsumichi, fourth son of Emperor Reizei, so called because he served as Governor-General of the Dazaifu.
Making the snow-covered branch the basis of a fanciful comparison, the prince composed this poem and sent it tied to the branch.
Surprised by the unexpected conceit, Izumi Shikibu replied with "Ume wa haya sakinikeri tote oreba chiru hana to zo yuki no furu wa miekeru."
The opening lines mean "since snow has fallen, on the leaves of the trees," a conditional of fact, and the third line means "though it is not spring," with a negative connective.
The lower verses mean "everywhere the plum blossoms have bloomed," with an adverb meaning all alike, sealed by an emphatic construction ending in an auxiliary of continuing state. Seeing the white snow on the branches as plum blossoms opened in the depths of winter, and sending the snowy branch itself with the poem, he seeks to share with her a brightness that anticipates the coming season.
- Author
- Prince Atsumichi
- Source
- Izumi Shikibu Nikki
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Ume wa haya sakinikeri tote oreba chiru hana to zo yuki no furu wa miekeru