Waka Poems for the New Year
(1) Otomo no Yakamochi (Manyoshu XX:4540)
like the snow that falls
on this first day of the new year
in early spring,
may there be ever more
good things to come!
atarashiki | toshi no hajime no | hatsu haru no | kyo furu yuki no | yashike yoigoto
新しき年の初め初春の今日降る雪のいや重け吉事
A congratulatory poem - one of the most famous in Japanese literature - written on New Year's Day of the year 759 at a banquet held for the provincial and district officials of Inaba Province by Otomo no Yakimochi (718-785). Yakamochi was one of the compilers of the Manyoshu. When snow fell on the New Year's Day, it was considered as a sign of an abundant harvest in the year to come.
(2) Author unknown (Kokinshu 343)
may our lord live
for a thousand years, eight thousand years,
until pebbles
grow into boulders
covered with moss
waga kimi wa | chiyo ni yashiyo ni | sazareishi no | iwao to narite | koke no musu made
わが君は千代には千代にさざれいしのいわほとなりて苔のむすまで
This congratulatory poem is even more famous than the previous one, for it became the basis of the Japanese national anthem (after it was copied to the Wakan Ryoeishu anthology with some changes, whereby the first line became "kimi ga yo wa," "my lord's life"). The custom of celebrating birthdays at ten-year intervals after the fortieth was a Chinese custom adapted by Japanese nobles of the Nara period, according to Laurel Rasplica Rodd in Kokinshu, A collection of Poems Ancient and Modern. The same author notes that the present poem may have been inspired by Manyoshu 228: "Let my girl's name | stream on through a thousand ages | until moss grows | on the buds of the young pine | at Himejima" (tr. Ian Levy). It is surely unnecessary to add that according to the laws of nature, pebbles don't grow into boulders, but that boulders after many ages may become small pebbles.
(3) Author unknown (Kokinshu 340)
when snow has fallen
and the year draws to a close -
then at last it is clear
that the pine is a tree
(3) Author unknown (Kokinshu 340)
From the poetry contest held at the residence of the Empress in the Kanpyo era (reign of Emperor Uda, 887-897).
when snow has fallen
and the year draws to a close -
then at last it is clear
that the pine is a tree
whose color never fades
yuki furite | toshi no kerunuru | toki ni koso | tsui ni momijinu | matsu mo miekere
雪降て年のくれぬる時にこそつゐにもみちぬ松も見えけれ
yuki furite | toshi no kerunuru | toki ni koso | tsui ni momijinu | matsu mo miekere
雪降て年のくれぬる時にこそつゐにもみちぬ松も見えけれ
As Laurel Rasplica Rodd adds in a note: "This poem is based on a line from the Lunyu (Analects of Confucius): (The Master said:) "Only when the year grows cold do we see that the pine and cypress are the last to fade." (from Lunyu Book 9.27, 子曰，歲寒，然後知松柏之後彫也。)
The evergreen pine is universally known as the symbol of life. During the long and icy winter season, it does not lose its leaves nor its lush dark green color. In Japanese culture, the pine tree is known to represent longevity, good fortune and steadfastness. It is iconic of the Japanese New Year, as a symbol of renewal and a bright future. It is also used in the kadomatsu New Year decorations as here:
Kadomatsu ("gate pine") are traditional Japanese New Year decorations, which are usually placed in pairs in front of homes and buildings. Designs for kadomatsu vary depending on the region but are typically made of
pine, bamboo, and sometimes ume tree sprigs which represent longevity,
prosperity and steadfastness, respectively. In modern times, kadomatsu are put out after Christmas until January 7 (January 15 during the Edo period). They are a type of yorishiro, or objects intended to welcome ancestral spirits or kami of the harvest. "The fundamental function of the New Year ceremonies is to honor and receive the toshigami (deity of the year), who will then bring a bountiful harvest for farmers and bestow the ancestors' blessing on everyone."
P.S. I think it not coincidental that pine trees with their green needles are very much like Christmas trees in Western culture: both are a symbol of the life force in the middle of winter.
P.S. I think it not coincidental that pine trees with their green needles are very much like Christmas trees in Western culture: both are a symbol of the life force in the middle of winter.
(4) Ariwara Motokata (Kokinshu 339)
each time the year
comes to another end
the snows fall
ever more deeply and
my body grows ever more older
comes to another end
the snows fall
ever more deeply and
my body grows ever more older
aratama no | toshi no owari ni | naru goto ni | yuki mo waga mi mo | furimasaritsutsu
あらたまの年のをはりになるごとに雪もわが身もふりまさりつつ
Pun on the verb "furu," which is both "to fall" (of snow) and "to grow old." For the rest, the observation is very true, even when we have no snow anymore due to global warming...
(5) Kiyowara Fukayabu (Kokinshu 330)
despite the winter
blossoms come fluttering down
from the sky -
is it because beyond the clouds
springtime has arrived?
fuyu nagara | sora yori hana no | chirikuru wa | kumo no anata wa | haru niya aruramu
冬ながらそらより花のちりくるは雲のあなたは春にやあるらむ
In Japanese poetry, "snow" and "blossoms" are often on purpose confused. Therefore the blossoms that come fluttering down from the sky in this poem must be snowflakes, and the idea that it is now spring at some place "beyond the clouds" is just a pious wish. But the poem aptly gives voice to the strong yearning of the writer for spring and the New Year.
Also read: Haiku for the New Year
Japanese Poetry Index | Hyakunin Isshu (One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each)