こずゑには吹くとも見えで桜花
かをるぞ風のしるしなりける
かをるぞ風のしるしなりける
- Roma-ji
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Kozue ni wa fuku tomo miede sakurabana kaoru zo kaze no shirushi narikeru
- English Translation
-
On the treetops there
no sign that the wind is blowing,
yet the cherry blooms
send their fragrance, and that scent
is the token of the wind
- Meaning
- On the treetops there is no sign of the wind blowing, yet the fragrance of the cherry blossoms is the proof that it is there.
- Commentary
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Book One Spring Poems 59
The breeze is so faint that the blossoms on the branches do not stir, yet the poet knows the wind is there because the scent of cherries drifts toward him. It shows a delicate sense that grasps the invisible wind through fragrance.
The author, Toshiyori, is Minamoto no Toshiyori. A son of Minamoto no Tsunenobu, he compiled this anthology, the Kin'yōwakashū, at the command of Retired Emperor Shirakawa, and is known for his innovative style.
First line, 'kozue ni wa', means on the branch tips.
Second line, 'fuku tomo miede', means without seeming to blow, de being a negative connective.
Third line, 'sakurabana', names the source of the scent.
Fourth line, 'kaoru zo kaze no', uses zo, which closes on the attributive keru in the final line.
Final line, 'shirushi narikeru', uses shirushi, the evidence that the wind is blowing. In poem 29 too the spring wind's scent reveals the cherries on the peaks; both take fragrance as the clue.
- Author
- Minamoto no Toshiyori
- Source
- Kinyo Wakashu
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Kesa mireba yowa no arashi ni chirihatete niwa koso hana no sakari nari kere
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Harugoto ni onaji sakura no hana nareba oshimu kokoro mo kawarazari keri