Katsuragi ya masaki no iro wa aki ni nite yoso no kozue wa midori naru kana

葛城や正木の色は秋に似て
よその梢は緑なるかな

Roma-ji: Katsuragi ya masaki no iro wa aki ni nite yoso no kozue wa midori naru kana
English Translation: Ah, Katsuragi—
the masaki vines' color
is like autumn's hue,
while on other trees around
the treetops are still green.
Meaning: On Katsuragi, the masaki vines are colored as if it were autumn, while the treetops all around are still green.
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 1078

Headnote: "Passing Katsuragi, I saw red leaves out of season, and when I asked what they were I was told they were masaki"
Passing Mount Katsuragi, Saigyō saw red leaves though it was not the season, and on asking was told they were masaki vines. On Katsuragi the masaki is colored like autumn while the other treetops are still green, he writes, struck by the rarity of out-of-season color.
Katsuragi was a poetic place sung together with masaki vines, and the surprise of meeting the real scene comes through simply. A touch of red among the green makes for a vivid contrast of color.

First line, “Katsuragi ya”: ya is exclamatory, setting forth Mount Katsuragi on the border of Yamato and Kawachi.
Second line, “masaki no iro wa”: masaki no kazura, thought to be the old name of the star jasmine vine, which turns red.
Third line, “aki ni nite”: colored as in autumn.
Fourth line, “yoso no kozue wa”: the treetops of other trees, set against the masaki.
Fifth line, “midori naru kana”: kana is exclamatory, closing on wonder that they are still summer green.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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