花の雪の庭に積もるに跡つけじ
門なき宿と言ひ散らさせて
門なき宿と言ひ散らさせて
- Roma-ji
-
Hana no yuki no niwa ni tsumoru ni ato tsukeji kado naki yado to iichirasasete
- English Translation
-
Snow of blossoms lies
piled upon my garden ground;
I'll leave no footprints,
letting it be noised about:
"That house has no gate at all."
- Meaning
- Since the snow of blossoms lies piled in the garden, I will leave no footprints in it, and let it be spread about that my house has no gate.
- Commentary
-
One Hundred Poems 1459
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Ten Poems on Blossoms"
The seventh of the ten poems on blossoms. With fallen petals piled like snow in the garden, he will leave no footprints on them, and will let people spread word that his house has no gate.
Likening the petals strewn over the garden to snow, the poem expresses his wish that no one should trample them. The exaggeration of having it said there is no gate, to turn visitors away, shows how deeply he cherishes the blossoms. It shares the heart of 1456, which would show the blossoms to no one.
First line, “hana no yuki no”: petals fallen and piled like snow; the line has an extra syllable.
Second line, “niwa ni tsumoru ni”: since they lie piled in the garden.
Third line, “ato tsukeji”: ji is negative intention, "I will leave no footprints"; the poem breaks here.
Fourth line, “kado naki yado to”: a house with no gate, a pretext so that no one may call.
Fifth line, “iichirasasete”: se is causative, "letting it be spread about"; chirasu is associated with the scattering of blossoms.
- Author
- Saigyō
- Source
- Sankashu
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