Text

題しらず

在原行平朝臣

春のきる　霞の衣　ぬきをうすみ　み山かぜにこそ　みだるべらなれ

Translation

Topic unknown

Lord Ariwara no Yukihira

The robe of haze (2) / worn by spring (1) / has a thin weave, and so / it is the mountain wind / that seems to put it in disarray.

霞の衣: Here spring is personified as wearing a robe of haze. This image may derive from Chinese poetry. The {{Denju|Engoki} goes as far as linking this to the goddess Saohime, who governs spring, but this may be going too far.

ぬきをうすみ: The を....み structure means が...ので, indicating a cause and effect. Takeoka indicates that this is often used to express the view of a third person observer. This line continues the metaphor above by likening the transparent haze to a thinly woven robe being pulled in two.

べらなれ: This phrase (here in the IZ because of the こそ) is used 25 times in the KKS, not at all in the MYS, and only a few scattered uses after the KS.