Japanese Waka-The First Day of Spring : Sea of golden cloud, myth of spring –Amanotono akurukesikimo shizukanite kumoiyorikoso haruwatatikere.
This was read as a poem for the first day of spring.
Amanotono akurukesikimo shizukanite kumoiyorikoso haruwa tatikere.
(“Shintyokusensyuu”, Spring, by Fujiwara no Shunzei/male, 2, 12C )
The theme is a poem of “the first day of spring”.
(The sun is rising. In the morning of a new spring is coming), the gate of the sky is opening and it silently becomes bright (and the sun on the first day of the spring colours the sky in gold.) Oh I see, the spring is coming from (the distance) in the sky.
Detailed explanation of the contents
Well well, this is the first Waka for this blog, I'd like to start with this poem according to a traditions of the “beginning of the spring”. I'll start with Waka by Sir Shunzei whoes work I like a lot.
Sir Shunzei made this Waka to reply the question where spring comes from. He answered with the poem: spring comes from the sky with the rising sun. In the morning of the first day of the spring, from the East sky, where new things always start, a beam of sunlight appears in the sky, as if opening the midwinter gate, and falls straight down on the ground. It is the most solemn beginning of the spring. Sir Shunzei expresses the rising sun as if opening a gate of the sky. “The sky gate opens” means the break of dawn. The phrase, “Amanoto ga akeru (The sky gate opens)” is not only used to express the morning of the first day of spring, but it sounds a little high class atmosphere.
The sound of the word “Akeru (the day breaks / the sun rising)” can also mean “a gate opens” in Japanese words (i.e. to open = akeru in Japanese), but here, it doesn't mean any actually existed door was opened.
“kumoi” often means “cloud” itself but the word in this Waka means a very high part in the sky where the clouds were.
The binding particle “koso” emphasize the phrase: the new spring is brought not just “from sky” but from “THE sky on the first day of spring” along with the sun beam. Then the sky gets milder, snow melts and trees budding. Birds are singing and flowers bloom beautifully, all springs begin from here.
Amanotono = the gate of the sky /akuru =becomes bright /kesiki =a sign
shizuka = silently /kumoi = very high part in the sky where the clouds were
haru = the spring /tatikere = is coming
If you wish to use the English translated text from this site at elsewhere, please quote the name of this site and put the link.
(English translation by BCat.)
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