[26] をぐ (Ogu)

 Poem Meaning and Background 

Momiji leaves at Eigenji, photo by me

をぐらやま・みねのもみぢば・こころあらば

Ogura-yama・mine no momiji-ba・kokoro araba

いまひとたびの・みゆきまたなむ

ima hitotabi no・miyuki matanan

〜貞信公 (Teishin Kō)

Translation

If the maple leaves

On top of Mt. Ogura

Could only have hearts,

They would longingly await

The emperor's pilgrimage.

Meaning

This poem was written by the author for then-retired Emperor Uda while they were visiting Mt. Ogura together. Mt. Ogura is famed for its fall foliage, and they likely were visiting at the peak of the season. While they were at Mt. Ogura, the poet Tadahira overheard the former Emperor say that he wished he could show these beautiful leaves to his son, Emperor Daigo, before all the leaves fell off the trees. After hearing this, the poet decided to turn this pure sentiment into a poem. Therefore, the poem is filled with the longing of the ex-emperor Uda wishing to share the beautiful sight with his son. His son later did take a trip to Mt. Ogura, and it is said that this established a tradition of Emperors visiting this mountain in fall. 

Mt. Ogura is located in Kyoto, and it is the same Mt. Ogura that the "Ogura Hyakunin Isshu" is named after. In the poem, miyuki refers to a trip outside of the palace taken by an Emperor or former Emperor. Matanan is an expression meaning "待ってほしい”  (I want you to wait). 

Author

Fujiwara no Tadahira (880-949) is known as one of the "3 Hira's" along with his older brothers: Tokihira and Nakahira. Teishin Kō is a title that was bestowed to the author posthumously. One of his wives was a daughter of Emperor Uda, Minamoto no Junshi. 

His grandson, Fujiwara no Koremasa authored poem [45] Aware.