東路のかほやが沼のかきつばた
春をこめても咲きにけるかな
春をこめても咲きにけるかな
- Roma-ji
-
Azumaji no kaoya ga numa no kakitsubata haru o komete mo saki ni keru kana
- English Translation
-
On the eastern road,
at the marsh of Kaoya,
the iris blossoms
even while it's spring still
have come into bloom, I see
- Meaning
- On the eastern road, at Kaoya Marsh, the irises have bloomed even while it is still spring.
- Commentary
-
Book One Spring Poems 72
The poet is moved that irises, flowers of early summer, are already blooming in spring at Kaoya Marsh in the eastern provinces. Set at a famous place far from the capital, the poem captures flowers that bloom ahead of their season.
The author, Akisue, is Fujiwara no Akisue. A son of Fujiwara no Takatsune, he was trusted as a close retainer of Emperor Shirakawa because his mother had been the emperor's wet nurse, and he rose to Master of the Office of Palace Repairs. He founded the Rokujō Fujiwara house of poetry.
First line, 'azumaji no', uses Azumaji, the road to the eastern provinces, or the east itself.
Second line, 'kaoya ga numa no', names Kaoya Marsh, held to be a famous place in Kōzuke, a place name found in the eastern songs of the Man'yōshū.
Third line, 'kakitsubata', is the purple iris of the waterside, by rights an emblem of early summer.
Fourth line, 'haru o komete mo', means even within spring, including spring.
Final line, 'saki ni keru kana', means they have bloomed, combining perfective and exclamatory endings.
- Author
- Fujiwara no Akisue
- Source
- Kinyo Wakashu
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