Gyokuyoshu 1

[1v] 玉葉和歌集巻第一

Gyokuyo Wakashu Volume 1

春歌上

Spring 1

1

はるたつ日よめる

Read on the first day of spring.

紀貫之

Ki no Tsurayuki [?-945]

けふにあけて　昨日ににぬは　みな人の　心に春の　たちにけらしも

Today has dawned / what does not resemble yesterday is / in everyone's / hearts, spring / seems to have arisen.

はるたつ日よめる

This might be interpreted as either "Read on the first day of spring" or "Read about the first day of spring", with the latter indicating an artificial topic. The use of "on" in the translation is meant to reflect both possibilities.

紀貫之

One of the 36 poetic immortals, and one of the best known poets in the classical tradition. He was one of the compilers of the KKS and wrote its celebrated kana preface. He has 26 poems in the GYS and first appeared in the KKS.

--

The collection begins with an abstract expression about the beginning of spring and people's hearts. Early spring poems often comment on how the season has changed but the natural world still looks and feels like winter -- this is another way of expressing that idea, but rather than focus on the calendar, the poem puts the change of season in people's feelings.

This poem was composed in the Tengyo in response to an Imperial command. Iwasa and SZS say this is in a sequence of screen painting poems done in 940, but the SKKT edition of the Tsurayuki Collection does not indicate this. The form in the Tsurayuki Collection is somewhat different, as indicated below:

今日明け昨日に似ぬは見る人の心に春の立ちべらなる

Iwasa believes that Tamekane may have intentionally made these changes. Adding the particle に to the first line creates an extra syllable that is characteristic of the Kyogoku poetry school, and also links it more closely to poem 1035, the final seasonal poem also by Tsurayuki, which ends with 明日にあけなん. Iwasa also says that the idea that the start of spring is due to the change of heart of people is typical of Kyogoku poetry. Having the famous Ki no Tsurayuki express this idea clearly is a fresh way of starting the collection.

The poetic treatise Kaen rencho shisho, written by opponents of the Kyogoku school, heaps scorn on the selection of this poem in the following terms. This poem is not typical of Tsurayuki's poetry, and is not particularly good. In particular, the idea of spring starting in someone's heart is too small. How could previous collections have missed a poem of Tsurayuki's that was good enough to stand at the front of a collection? Instead, the compiler has done this to let Tsurayuki begin a collection, something that has never happened before. But this is foreign to the way imperial collections are constructed; the quality of the poem, rather than the stature of the poet, is primary.

The anonymous author of this treatise is probably correct that Tamekane was determined to put Tsurayuki at the front of the collection, but previous collections also seem to have honored particular poets by putting them at the front.

Other sources:

• 貫之集４１１. Prose preface 同じ御時うちの仰事にて元日. 1st line けふあけて. 3rd line みる人の. 5th line 立ちぬべらなる.
• 歌苑連署事書

2

堀河院に百首歌たてまつりける時、立春の心をよみ侍り・ける

When Retired Emperor Horikawa asked for a hundred-poem sequence, this was written on the start of spring

源俊頼朝臣

Lord Minamoto no Toshiyori (c. 1055-c. 1129)

庭もせに　ひきつらなれる　もろ人の　たちゐるけふや　千世の初春

Other sources:

• 金葉集（橋本公夏本)
• 散木集１ Prose preface 堀河院御時百首歌めしけるに元日の心をつかうまつれる
• 堀河院百首和歌８
• 題林愚抄・立春、公事（元日） (Two appearances)

3

When the Gokyogoku Chancellor was the Left Major Captain, he held the Poetry Contest in 600 Rounds in his house; this was on the topic of the New Year's Banquet.

Former Counselor [Fujiwara no] Teika [1162-1241]

haru kure-ba                When spring comes,
hosi no kurawi ni           Before the line of stars
kage mie-te                 Her form appears:
kumowi no hasi ni           On the cloud bridge,
iduru tawoyame              The emerging Handmaid

Gokyogoku Chancellor

Fujiwara (Kujo) no Yoshitsune (1169-1206). A major figure of the SKKS period, represented by 16 poems in the GYS.

Poetry Contest in 600 Rounds

Held in 1193. The contest was between 12 poets, split between the conservative Rokujo school and the more innovative Miko-hidari school. The judge was Fujiwara no Shunzei, and both his comments and the comments of the poets themselves are recorded.

Line of stars

This is a metaphor for the top levels of government, before whom the Handmaid is appearing.

Cloud bridge

There is some uncertainty about exactly where this is; Iwao says that it is the east stairs of the Shishinden, while Nakagawa says it was some kind of outer walkway. In any case Nakagawa allows that "stairs" has a better meaning in the poem itself.

Handmaid

Her entrance is part of the ceremonies at the New Year's Banquet.

--

This is an unusual topic for an early spring poem; it contains no actual spring imagery but just describes the ceremony of the banquet -- the first three poems as a whole present a "ceremonial" feeling. Nakagawa notes that the year the GYS was presented, the lunar beginning of spring came before the end of the calendar year, which might explain why Tamekane selected this poem of Teika's to go third.

In the poetry contest, Teika's poem was on the left, and the right poem was by Fujiwara no Takanobu.

いつしかと袖をつらぬるももしきに万代めぐる春の盃

They await impatiently, their sleeves trailing, the spring wine cup to bless the palace for ten thousand generations.

The right objected to the style of Teika's poem; Shunzei deferred on this question but praised the last two lines of Takanobu's poem. He awarded Takanobu the victory.

4

With the feeling of the start of spring

Novice, Former Chancellor [Saionji Sanekane, 1249-1322]

adusayumi                The catalpas bow
haru tatu-rasi mo        Spring seems to have come!
mononohu no              On the warriors'      
yanonokami-yama          Mountain of the Yano god,
kasumi tanabiku          Mist is trailing skyward.

Catalpas bow

This is a pillow word for spring, since haru means both "draw [a bow]" and "spring".

Warriors'

This is a pillow word for "arrow", the first part of the place name 矢野の神山, literally "The mountain of the god Yano". This place name appears in the Man'yoshu but the exact mountain is not certain.

--

After the first three poems featuring eminent poetic figures from the past, poem 4 is the first poem by a contemporary poet. The poem is in a consciously old style, separated into two sentences beginning with pillow words, and a place name associated with the Man'yoshu. The military subtext is also reminiscent of pre-Court poetry. Finally, yumi (bow), haru (draw/spring), and ya (arrow) are poetic engo, with the biku of tanabiku also suggesting hiku (draw a bow).

MY 10:1812, Hitomaro:

ひさかたの天の香具山この夕霞たなびく春立つらしも

On Heavenly Mount Kagu, the mist is trailing this evening: spring seems to have come.

SSIS 1:27, Fujiwara no Yukiyoshi:

あづさ弓やのの神山春かけてかすみは空にたなびきにけり

On the Mountain of the Yano god, into spring the mist is rising into the sky!