うち群れて高倉山に摘むものは
荒田なき世の富草の花
荒田なき世の富草の花
- Roma-ji
-
Uchimurete Takakurayama ni tsumu mono wa arata naki yo no tomikusa no hana
- English Translation
-
Coming out in crowds,
what they gather on the slopes
of Mount Takakura
are the flowers of rice in a reign
where no field lies left to waste
- Meaning
- What the people gather together on Mount Takakura are the flowers of rice, blooming in a reign where not a single field lies waste.
- Commentary
-
Book Ten Miscellaneous Poems II 383
What the people gather in crowds on Mount Takakura, the poet says, are the flowers of rice in a reign where not one field lies waste. "Tomikusa" (plant of wealth) is another name for rice, and the poem is one of celebration, praising rich harvests and the prosperous reign that brings them.
The next poem, 384, also sings of knowing that the world is well governed by seeing rice stacked in mountain fields, so two poems praising the reign through rice stand side by side.
The first line, "uchimurete," adds the prefix "uchi": people coming out together.
The second line, "Takakurayama ni," names Mount Takakura.
The third line, "tsumu mono wa," sets what is gathered as the topic with "wa."
The fourth line, "arata naki yo no," refers to a world without waste fields, a reign richly governed. It answers "osamareru yo no" in the fourth line of the next poem.
The final line, "tomikusa no hana," ends with a noun, presenting the flowers of tomikusa, another name for rice.
- Source
- Shika Wakashu
- Prev Poem
-
Wata no hara kogiidete mireba hisakata no kumoi ni magau okitsu shiranami
- Next Poem
-
Itakura no yamada ni tsumeru ine o mite osamareru yo no hodo o shiru kana