Tamagaki wa ake mo midori mo uzumorete yuki omoshiroki Matsu no o no yama

玉垣は朱も緑も埋もれて
雪おもしろき松の尾の山

Roma-ji: Tamagaki wa ake mo midori mo uzumorete yuki omoshiroki Matsu no o no yama
English Translation: The sacred fences,
their vermilion and their green
are buried all away,
and how lovely is the snow
upon Matsunoo's hill!
Meaning: The vermilion of the sacred fences and the green of the pines are all buried under the snow, and how delightful the snowscape on the hill of Matsunoo.
Commentary: Winter Poems 537

Headnote: "Snow at a shrine"
The topic is snow at a shrine. The vermilion paint of the fences of the Matsunoo shrine and the green of the surrounding pines are buried out of sight in snow, and the snowscape of the hill of Matsunoo is a delight. The poem catches the colors of vermilion and green covered by the single white of the snow.
Like 506 in this book, which told of a meadow once blooming in many colors withered to a single hue by frost, this poem tells of many colors covered by one, sharing the contrast between color and its absence.

First line, “tamagaki wa”: tamagaki is the fence around a shrine, answering the shrine of the topic.
Second line, “ake mo midori mo”: ake is vermilion, the color of the fence, and midori the green of the pines; two colors are set side by side.
Third line, “uzumorete”: buried and hidden.
Fourth line, “yuki omoshiroki”: the snow delightful, answering the snow of the topic.
Fifth line, “Matsu no o no yama”: Matsu no o no yama is the hill behind the Matsunoo shrine west of the capital; its pine echoes the green of the second line. The poem ends on a noun.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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