When the New Year’s Day was the Day of the Rat.[i]
ねのびしてたてたる松にうゑそへんちよかさぬべきとしのしるしに
| ne no bi shite tatetaru matsu ni uesoen chiyo kasanubeki toshi no shirushi ni | ‘Tis the Day of the Rat, so Standing, pines Let us plant, That a thousand ages will mount up As a sign this year![ii] |
[i] On the first Day of the Rat of the year, aristocrats would go out and gather a range of medicinal plants to brew a tonic to ward off ill health in the coming year. Among these were pine seedlings, which were displayed as symbols of longevity.
[ii] See: For the Day of the Rat celebrations at the palace in Eihō 4 [1084]. ねのびする野べのこまつをうつしうゑて年のをながく君ぞ引くべき ne no bi suru / nobe no komatsu o / utsushi’uete / toshi no o nagaku / kimi zo hikubeki ‘For the Day of the Rat / Pine seedlings from the plains / We transplant, that / The long thread of their years / Will draw our Lord with them!’ Supernumerary Middle Counsellor Michitoshi (Shinkokinshū VII: 729)