Okuyama no iwakaki momiji chirihatete kuchiba ga ue ni yuki zo tsumoreru - Shika Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

奥山の岩垣紅葉散りはてて
朽葉が上に雪ぞ積もれる

Roma-ji: Okuyama no iwakaki momiji chirihatete kuchiba ga ue ni yuki zo tsumoreru
English Translation: Deep in the mountains
the maples ringing the rocks
have scattered all away,
and on their mouldering leaves
the snow now lies heaped up.
Meaning: Deep in the mountains the maples that ringed the rocks like a hedge have shed every leaf, and now snow lies piled upon those rotting leaves.
Commentary: Book Four Winter Poems 156

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Topic unknown."
The maples that colored the rocks deep in the mountains have scattered completely, and snow has piled upon their decaying leaves, so that the passage from late autumn to deep winter is gathered into a single scene. With crimson leaves, fallen leaves, and snow, it reads like the course of this book in miniature.

First line, “okuyama no”: “of the deep mountains,” a place no one visits.
Second line, “iwakaki momiji”: maples growing where rocks encircle them like a hedge.
Third line, “chirihatete”: “having scattered completely,” the same verb as 143, “chirihatenikeri,” so the close of the leaf sequence returns within the snow poems.
Fourth line, “kuchiba ga ue ni”: “upon the rotting leaves.” The picture of showers falling “kawakeru ue ni” in 144 is repeated here with snow.
Fifth line, “yuki zo tsumoreru”: “zo” with the attributive of the stative “ri.” Upon the leaves that lay heaped in 144, now the snow lies heaped.
Author: Oe no Masafusa
Source: Shika Wakashu
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