Kokinshu 24
Text
寛平御時きさいの宮の歌合によめる
源むねゆきの朝臣
ときはなる 松のみどりも 春くれば 今ひとしほの 色まさりけり
Translation
Read at the Empress' Poetry Collection in the Kampei era.
Lord Minamoto no Muneyuki
The evergreen / pine tree's green color, even, / when spring comes / is one more shade / deeper in color.
Notes
- 寛平御時きさいの宮の歌合によめる
- See Kokinshu 12. Matsuda says that the によめる means the poem was actually composed at the competition rather than being a previously written poem, but this may be reading too far into the text.
- 朝臣
- This word, read あそん, is used in the KKS for poets of rank 4 and above.
- ときは
- A shortening of 常磐（とこいは）. It is used with mountains and pine trees.
- 今ひとしほ
- The term refers to a single dyeing of a cloth; the 今 here is like もう and means "one more".
Analysis
This poem appears in the Korai futeisho and the pseudo-Teika Kiribioke in the list of good poems.
The meaning is fairly clear -- the pine trees are known for being evergreen, but in the spring when everything is turning green, even the pine trees deepen one shade. The Bishamon tendo chu cites a Chinese precedent for this idea from the Wen Xuan. Since pines are often on mountains, there is a connection from the previous poem's mountain wind to this one.
There does seem to be some disagreement over whether pine trees actually deepen in color (Jakuei, Kaneko, many other 20th century scholars) or whether this is simply the perception of the poet because everything is turning green (Engoki,Takeoka).
As with some of the previous poems, the Chokudenkai reads a political meaning into this -- the thriving of those who received promotions. The Naikakubunko commentary thought that in the context of the poetry collection, this was praising the Empress for receiving the Emperor's love. But not all older commentaries took this line; Sogi praised it for its naturalness and feeling.
One of Fujiwara no Teika's poems, in Fugashu 158, seems to build on this:
- いつもみし松の色かは初瀬山さくらにもるる春のひとしほ
- Is that really the usual pine color we see? The shade of spring on Hatsuse mountain, with the light coming through the cherries.
Other Sources
- 新撰和歌１１
- 古今和歌六帖３５１１・もどり・宗于
- 和漢朗詠集４２７・宗于
- 宗于集９
- 寛平御時后宮歌合３９. vs くる春にあはむことこそかたからめ過行く方におくれずもがな
- 中宮亮重家朝臣家歌合１０４, 判詞. The Left's poem had suggested that pines do not know spring because they don't change, and the judge cited this poem as a poetic precedent that even pines changed a bit in spring.
- 俊成三十六人歌合６７. One of three poems of Muneyuki's selected by Shunzei.
- 若宮社歌合建久二年三月４６, 判詞. The Right's poem said that pines were notified of spring by the wind blowing across plum blossoms, and the judge cited this poem in support of the idea.
- 新時代不同歌合５５
- 三十六人撰 深窓秘抄
- 古来風体抄 桐火桶 定家八代抄