[69] あらし (Arashi)

 Poem Meaning and Background

Photo credit: me

あらしふく・みむろのやまの・もみぢばは
arashi fuku・Mimuro no yama no・momijiba wa

たつたのかわの・にしきなりけり
Tatsuta no kawa no・nishiki nari keri

〜能因法師（Nōin Hōshi）

Translation

By the wind storm's blast

From Mimuro's mountain slopes

Maples leaves are torn,

Which turn Tatsuta River

Into a rich brocade.

Meaning

This is another poem that was written for a poetry contest (歌合, uta awase). In the poem, the author picks out two spots which are famous for their brilliant fall foliage: Mimuro Mountain and Tatsuta River. Although the Tatsuta River runs near the base of Mimuro Mountain, the two are quite far apart, so it's unlikely that the mountain's leaves would reach the river. The author here is overlaying the two real-life locations to create a scene of beauty, in an imagined world where the leaves which paint the Mountain red are able to dye the Tatsuta River crimson as well. 

Though the word 嵐(arashi) in it's modern-day usage typically refers to strong, damaging winds or storms, the term here is not limited to that usage, and can also just mean "winds which blow from the mountains" (as the kanji itself suggests). Mimuro Mountain (三室山) is a located in Nara and is famous for both its fall foliage and springtime cherry blossoms. Tatsuta river (竜田川) is also in Nara and flows East of Mimuro Mountain. Both locations are referenced in other poems of the time, including poem [17] Chiha in the Hyakunin Isshu. In the last line, the author says that the leaves will turn the river into a 錦（nishiki), which is a type of fabric, typically extravagant and sometimes ornately woven with gold or silver threads. 

Author

Nōin Hōshi (988 ~ 1050)  was a buddhist monk and poet in the late Heian period. His given name was Tachibana no Nagayasu. This poem was also included in an imperial poetry anthology called the Goshūi Wakashū.