GSS 5

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Text

朱雀院すざくゐんの子日ねのひにおはしましけるに、さはること侍はべりて、えつかう仕まつらで、延光朝臣のぶみつのあそむにつかはしける

左大臣

松もひき　わかなもつまず　成なりぬるを　いつしか桜　はやもさかなむ

Translation

Retired Emperor Suzaku was attending the Day of the Rat festivities, and there was something inconvenient for [Saneyori], and he was unable to accompany [the Emperor], and he sent this to Lord Nobumitsu.

Minister of the Left [Fujiwara no Saneyori]

It has become such that I will not pick pines or young shoots; oh when, cherry blossoms, I wish you would bloom soon!

Textual Notes

• Preface:
  • Teika's note(to 左大臣): 小野宮
  • 朱雀院の] 朱雀院御門（堀・坊・片）
  • 子日に] 子日しに（中・荒・片・堀・坊・慶）
  • おはしましけるに] おはしけるに（堀・雲）、おはしましける（標ィ）
  • さはること侍て] さはることありて（中・片・堀・坊・承・正・標ィ）、さはることありければ（荒）
  • えつかうまつらで] えつかうまつらずして（行・貞・堀・雲・安ィ・八・増・新・標*・正版・旧国）、つかうまつらで（荒）
  • 延光朝臣に] 信光朝臣の許に（堀）、延光朝臣のかり（荒・片）、延光朝臣の許に（中・雲・標ィ）
  • 左大臣] 左大臣実頼（堀・雲）
• Poem:
  • さかなむ] さきなむ（標）

Other Sources

• 朱雀院御集４. Prose preface 御子日にいでさせ給ひけるに、おほんともにつかうまつらで、奏し侍りける　左大臣. Third line 成りにしを.

Notes

Preface

朱雀院

This is read variously as すざく、しゅじゃく, and すじゃく, but すざく is typically the head entry in dictionaries. There may or may not be a の before 院. The term 院 refers to a building, but also a retired Emperor (by reference to the building they live in after their abdication). Since more than one Emperor could live in the same building there is sometimes some uncertainty about which one is meant -- the pre-modern commentaries identify this as Emperor Uda, but modern commentaries all say this is Emperor Suzaku instead. 「みかどにゐさせ給て、十六年おはしまして後におりさせ給ておはしましけるをぞ、朱雀院のみかどとは申ける」（栄花物語）

子日

This refers to the celebration on the first Day of the Rat of the new year, when small pines and young shoots are picked in the fields and eaten to ward off illness and bad luck, and to promote youth.

おはしましける

おはします is an honorific phrase for 行く. It is a stronger honorific than おはす (which is a reading in some variant texts).

侍て

See GSS 4.

えつかうまつらで

え...ず indicates "unable to do"; the で is the RY of the negative ず. The term つかうまつる technically means to serve the Emperor, but in the context here it probably just indicates that Saneyori was unable to accompany the Emperor to the festivities.

延光朝臣につかはしける

In GSS 61, Minamoto no Nobumitsu talks about the beauty of the cherry trees at the Suzaku Residence, suggesting a closeness with the Emperor. He was the Emperor's half-nephew and Saneyori's uncle-in-law. Although the literal meaning of this is that Saneyori sent the poem to Nobumitsu, from the context and the response, this was clearly intended to be sent along to the Emperor -- presumably Nobumitsu was accompanying him.

Poem

松もひきわかなもつまず

The ず negative applies to both ひく and つむ.

成ぬるを

The を here is followed by a reaction to the situation in the first part of the poem.

さかなむ

なむ, on the MZ of a verb, acts like modern ～てほしい (a wish for someone or something else to do something).

Analysis

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