KKS 24
Text
寛平御時后の宮の歌合によめる
Read at the Empress' Poetry Competition in the Kampyō era
源宗于朝臣
Lord Minamoto no Muneyuki
ときはなる松の緑も春くればいまひとしほの色まさりけり
|
tokiwanaru |
The neverchanging |
Notes
Other sources:
- Kokin waka rokujō | Wakan rōeishū | Shinsen waka
- [[Korai
Analysis
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 Template:Teika 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 (Template:Teika, Template:Modern, many other 20th century scholars) or whether this is simply the perception of the poet because everything is turning green (Template:Denju,Takeoka).
As with some of the previous poems, the Template:Nativist reads a political meaning into this -- the thriving of those who received promotions. The Template:Denju 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; Template:Denju praised it for its naturalness and feeling.
