積もるべし雪積もるべし君が代は
松の花咲く千たび見るまで
松の花咲く千たび見るまで
- Roma-ji
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Tsumorubeshi yuki tsumorubeshi kimi ga yo wa matsu no hana saku chitabi miru made
- English Translation
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Pile up, let it pile,
snow, let it pile on and on,
for our lord's reign
will last till the pine's blossoms
are seen a thousand times
- Meaning
- Pile up, snow, pile up; for our lord's reign will last until we have seen the pine burst into bloom a thousand times.
- Commentary
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Book Five Celebration Poems 330
Calling again and again on the snow to pile up, the poem says the sovereign's reign will last until the pine, said to bloom so rarely, has been seen in flower a thousand times. In a strong rhythm built on the repeated 'tsumorubeshi', it celebrates both the snow, a sign of plenty, and a reign without end.
It takes up 'snow piling up' and 'the pine in bloom' from the preceding poem, 329.
From poem 329 through poem 332 in this book come poems, centered on snow and pines, celebrating a reign without end.
First line, 'tsumorubeshi', means pile up, using beshi close to a command to call on the snow.
Second line, 'yuki tsumorubeshi', means snow, pile up, repeating 'tsumorubeshi' from the first line to strengthen the tone. The poem breaks after the second line.
Third line, 'kimi ga yo wa', means our lord's reign, placing in the third line the opening so common in this book.
Fourth line, 'matsu no hana saku', means the pine in bloom, taking up the final line 'I see it bloom' of the preceding poem, 329.
Final line, 'chitabi miru made', means until seen a thousand times, and like 'until it becomes the sea' in poem 311 and 'till the springs of a thousand ages' in poem 314 in this book, it marks with made how long the reign will last.
- Source
- Kinyo Wakashu
- Prev Poem
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Yuki tsumoru toshi no shirushi ni itodoshiku chitose no matsu no hana saku zo miru
- Next Poem
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Nagahama no masago no kazu mo nani narazu tsukisezu miyuru kimi ga miyo kana