あるが上に花の咲きそふ橘は皐月の玉に貫かむためなり
| aru ga ue ni hana no sakisou tachibana wa satsuki no tama ni nukamu tame nari |
Up above Blossom blooms close by: Oranges – Jewels of summer For the threading! |
Fujiwara no Nakazane (1064-1122)
藤原仲実
Tag Archives: tachibana
Horikawa hyakushu 454
夕まぐれ下照る宿の橘の花咲くほどになるぞうれしき
| yūmagure shita teru yado no tachibana no hana saku hodo ni naru zo ureshiki |
Tangled in twilight Beneath my home gleam Orange Blossoms blooming, a time Of certain joy! |
Minamoto no Akinaka
源顕仲
Kokin rokujō: II: 1433
橘のてらの長屋にひと目見し髫髪は今は髪あげつらむ
| tatibana no tera no nagaya ni Fitome misi unawi Fa ima Fa kami ageturamu |
Oranges Gleam round the longhouse where I saw but once A youthful maiden, who now Will bind up her hair… |
Kokin rokujō II: 1418
橘の照れる長屋にわかゐねし髫髪放れは髪あげつらむ
| tatibana no tereru nagaya ni wa ga winesi unawiFhanare Fa kami agetsuramu |
Oranges Shine round the longhouse where I did sleep with A youthful maiden Who will bind up her hair… |
MYS XVIII: 4111
かけまくも あやに畏し 天皇の 神の大御代に 田道間守 常世に渡り 八桙持ち 参ゐ出来し時 時じくの かくの木の実を 畏くも 残したまへれ 国も狭に 生ひ立ち栄え 春されば 孫枝萌いつつ 霍公鳥 鳴く五月には 初花を 枝に手折りて 娘子らに つとにも遣りみ 白栲の 袖にも扱入れ かぐはしみ 置きて枯らしみ あゆる実は 玉に貫きつつ 手に巻きて 見れども飽かず 秋づけば しぐれの雨降り あしひきの 山の木末は 紅に にほひ散れども 橘の なれるその実は ひた照りに いや見が欲しく み雪降る 冬に至れば 霜置けども その葉も枯れず 常磐なす いやさかはえに しかれこそ 神の御代より よろしなへ この橘を 時じくの かくの木の実と 名付けけらしも
| kakemaku mo aya ni kashikosi sumeroki no kami no opomiyo ni tadimamori tokoyo ni watari ya poko moti mawidekosi toki toki ziku no kaku ko no mi wo kasikoku mo nokositamaere kuni mo se ni owitatisakape paru sareba pikoe moitutu pototogisu naku satuki ni pa patu pana wo eda ni taworite wotomera ni tuto ni mo yarimi sirotape no sode ni mo kokire kagu pasimi wokite karasimi ayuru mi pa tama ni nukitutu te ni makite miredomo akazu akizukeba sigure no amepuri asipiki no yama no konure pa kurenawi ni nipopi tiredomo tatibana no nareru sono mi pa pitatere ni iya migaposiku miyuki puru puyu ni itareba simo wokedomo sono pa mo karezu tokipa nasu iya sakapape ni sikare koso kami no miyo yori yorosinape kono tatibana wo toki ziku no kaku no ko no mi to nadukekerasi mo |
Even giving voice Fills me with awe: In the emperor’s Divine past ages, Tajimamori Crossed to the land of everlasting life; Eight spears in hand, When he did return Untouched by time These fragrant trees’ fruit With awe Did he leave for us. All throughout the land Do they grow and flourish, and When the spring does come, From fresh branches stretching out, The cuckoo Calls in the Fifth Month; The first blooms From the branches I take by hand, and To the maidens I present them; Into their white-mulberry Sleeves they thrust them; The fragrance sinks And lies there unfading; Fallen fruit as Gems I thread, Wound about my hand I gaze upon them, yet can never get my fill; With autumn’s advent Rain showers fall, and Leg-wearying Moutain treetops turn To scarlet Glowing and scattering, yet The orange Ripened fruit Gleams Ever attracting the eye; When snow falls And winter comes, Frost wraps them, yet Their leaves remain unwithered, Ever Freshly flourishing, And thus, From the Age of Gods Behold, The orange Eternally Fragranced fruit Has been called! |
Ōtomo no Yakamochi
MYS VIII: 1473
A poem by the Governor-General of Dazai, Lord Ōtomo.
橘の花散る里の霍公鳥片恋しつつ鳴く日しぞ多き
| tatibana no pana tiru sato no pototogisu kata kopisitutu naku pi si zo opoki |
Orange Blossom scatters round my estate where The cuckoo For unrequited love Does cry on many a day… |
Ōtomo no Tabito
MYS VI: 1009
A poem composed in winter in the Eleventh Month, by His Majesty, when the Major Controller of the Left, Prince Kazuragi, and others, were granted the name Tachibana.
橘は実さへ花さへその葉さへ枝に霜降れどいや常葉の木
| tatibana pa mi sape pana sape sono pa sape e ni simo puredo iya toko pa no ki |
O, orange tree: Fruit and flowers both, And leaves, too, Even should frost fall on your branches Evegreen will you be! |
The above poem was composed in winter, on the 9th day of the Eleventh Month, after Prince Kazuragi, Junior Third Rank, and Prince Sai, Junior Fourth Rank, Upper Grade, among others, surrendered their membership of the imperial family and were granted the name of Tachibana. At that time Former Emperor [Genshō], the Emperor [Shōmu], and Empress [Kōmyō], were present in the Empress’ quarters, and hosted a banquet at which poems celebrating the name of Tachibana were composed, and sake was presented to the new members of the family. It is alternatively said, ‘This poem was composed by the Former Emperor. In addition, the Emperor and the Empress each composed a single poem. Those poems were lost and cannot now be located.’ If one seeks copies of the documents now, they say that on the 9th day of the Eleventh Month [Tenpyō] 8 [736], Prince Kazuragi and other submitted a request to the throne to be granted the name of Tachibana. On the 17th day the request was granted.
Summer II: 6
Left (Win).
たち花の匂を風のさそい來て昔にかへす夜半のさ衣
| tachibana no nioi o kaze no sasoikite mukashi ni kaesu yowa no sagoromo |
Orange blossom Scent upon the breeze Urges Me back to times gone by, In my night-time garb… |
251
Right.
軒近き花たちばなに風過てにほひをのこす蝉の羽衣
| noki chikaki hana tachibana ni kaze sugite nioi o nokosu semi no hagoromo |
Close by my eaves The orange blossom Brushed by the breeze Leaves its scent upon The cicada’s gossamer garb. |
252
The Right team have no particular criticisms to make this round. The Left, however, say that, ‘the expression “the orange blossom brushed by the breeze” (hana tachibana ni kaze sugite) sounds old-fashioned. Furthermore, “cicada’s gossamer garb” (semi no hagoromo) seems somewhat unexpected.’
Shunzei seems to agree, simply saying, ‘The Left’s “urges me back to times gone by, in my night-time garb’ (mukashi ni kaesu yowa no sagoromo) seems particularly fine. It must win.’
Summer II: 2
Left (Tie).
脱ぎ代へし蝉の羽衣あつきまでいかになりゆく夏の日數ぞ
| nugikaeshi semi no hagoromo atsuki made ikani nariyuku natsu no hikazu zo |
Stripped off to change, A cicada-silk robe, yet Why, this heavy hotness Do I feel? As the summer days go on… |
243
Right (Tie).
橘のにほひも深し夏衣花ゆへたれかいとひそめけん
| tachibana no nioi mo fukashi natsugoromo hana yue tare ka itoisomeken |
Orange blossom Scent lies thick Upon my summer garb; For the cherry blossom’s sake Should I begin to hate it? |
244
The Right state they find themselves ‘unable to agree’ with the Left’s ‘Why, this heavy heat do I feel?’ (atsuki made ikani nariyuku), while the Left remark that ‘it is perhaps too similar to introduce a poem with “orange blossom” (tachibana) and conclude it with “cherry blossom” (hana).’
Shunzei simply asks, ‘Can the Left’s “do I feel” really be disagreeble? The Right’s “For the cherry blossom’s sake should I begin to hate it?” (hana yue tare ka itoisomeken) recollects the poem on “regret on changing clothes” by Minamoto no Shigeyuki, does it not? Furthermore, it is not implying that summer garb is necessarily fragranced by orange blossom. I question, though,the Left’s use of “heat”. The round should, therefore, tie.’
Sanekata Shū 154
On hearing that a lady had begun conversing with another person, despising a man who visited her only at lengthy intervals.
ほとゝぎす花橘の香をうとみことかたらふと聞くはまことか
| Fototogisu Fana tatibana no ka wo utomi koto kataraFu to kiku Fa makoto ka |
Does a cuckoo The orange blossoms’ Scent disregard and Sing elsewhere? I’ve heard it but, can it be true? |