難波潟潮干に立てる葦鶴の
羽白妙に雪ぞ降りつつ
羽白妙に雪ぞ降りつつ
- Roma-ji
-
Naniwagata shiohi ni tateru ashitazu no hane shirotae ni yuki zo furitsutsu
- English Translation
-
On Naniwa's flats
where the tide has drawn away
the reed cranes stand,
and white as mulberry cloth
the snow keeps falling on their wings.
- Meaning
- On the flats of Naniwa where the tide has ebbed, cranes stand among the reeds, and the snow keeps falling until their wings are pure white.
- Commentary
-
Winter Poems 359
Headnote: "Cranes by the sea"
This poem was composed on the theme of cranes by the sea. Snow keeps falling on the wings of the cranes standing on the ebbing flats of Naniwa until they are pure white. White snow on white cranes portrays the birds standing still amid a world of white.
According to the source's note, the Ruijū and Teika texts give line 5 as yuki wa furitsutsu. This edition follows the source text. Kamo no Mabuchi marked it with a circle.
Line 1 names the tidal flats of Naniwa in Settsu, a poetic place. Poem 326 opens with the same line and sang the cries of cranes.
Line 2 means "standing on the flats where the tide has ebbed."
Line 3, ashitazu, is a poetic word for cranes among the reeds.
Line 4 means "until the wings are pure white."
Line 5 takes the binding particle zo and stops on the continuative tsutsu, leaving a lingering sense of snow falling on and on.
- Author
- Minamoto no Sanetomo
- Source
- Kinkaishu
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Mizutori no kamo no ukine no uki nagara tamamo no toko ni ikuyo henuramu
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Misago iru isobe ni tateru muro no ki no eda mo tōo ni yuki zo tsumoreru