Ki no Tsurayuki’s “The fallen flowers weep” (Kokinshu #9)

Translation
On
snow falling
Spring mist sweeps
Through budding
leaves,
But in the
village
Where the snow
fell
The fallen
flowers weep.
Japanese
Pronunciation
きのつらゆき
Ki no Tsurayuki
霞たち
Kasumi tachi
このめもはるの
Ko no me mo haru no
雪ふれば
Yuki fureba
花なきさとも
Hana naki sato mo
花ぞちりける
Hana zo chirikeru
Translation Notes
Mist/haze(of
spring) rises/stands/passes/setting-off
Leaf-bud also
spring/adolescence/sexuality/swell/stick/paste/form ’s
Snow falls when
Flowers [sweep/cry/sob/sing/chirp]
[village/hamlet] also
Flowers
fall/scatter/disperse do/begin
“Haru” can mean
either “spring” (as in the season) or “swells.” Flowers in this case could also be viewed as snowflakes “weeping” as they melt.

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