A poem from a banquet of provincial and district governors, held in spring of the third year, on the first day of the first month, at provincial offices in Inaba province.
− Ōtomo no Yakamochi
Like snow, falling on this New Year's day of early spring, may you pile up, joyous things.
新たしき | aratashiki |
年の初めの | toshi no hajime no |
初春の | hatsuharu no |
今日降る雪の | kefu [kyō] furu yuki no |
いやしき吉事 | iyashiki yogoto |
The New Year signalled the coming of spring, as the first month of the Lunar calendar, used at the time, would fall around February or even March of the Solar calendar. The poem was composed by Ōtomo no Yakamochi 大伴家持 (718?−785), on the first day of the first Lunar month of the third year of Tenpyō-hōji 天平宝字 (759) in Inaba 因幡 (eastern part of present-day Tottori 鳥取 prefecture), where he was stationed as governor from 758.
This is the closing and latest poem in Man’yōshū 万葉集 (Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves; finished around 759), of which Yakamochi is considered the last editor.
Translation and notes by the blog author.