For the lord I trust
The flowers that I break for him
Are such as these—
They know nothing of the time,
Ever blooming without end.

Meaning

The flowers I break for the lord in whom I place my trust are such that they do not know the season; they are always in bloom.

Commentary

98. The Lord I Trust

There was a man who was known as the Great Minister of State.
The poem was composed by a man who served this Great Minister when, around the ninth month of the lunar calendar, he presented a branch of artificial plum blossoms adorned with pheasant feathers.
The minister was greatly impressed and immediately granted him a reward.

By offering flowers that never wither, he expresses the wish that his lord’s prosperity will continue for a long time. The poem reveals the deep trust within the bond between lord and retainer.

Source

Ise Monogatari

Other

Though through the autumn I said it without such thought, It was never so— Yet like leaves that fall and lie Our bond proved shallow indeed.
Cherry blossoms fall— Scatter and cloud all the air, Hide it from my sight, So the road by which old age Is said to come loses its way.
Not that I saw you, Yet not that I saw you not— Still you are dear to me; Without cause today perhaps I gaze on and pass the day.
Known or not known— Why should we idly divide And speak of such things? Feeling alone surely is The guide upon the way.

For the lord I trust The flowers that I break for him Are such as these— They know nothing of the time, Ever blooming without end.

For the lord I trust
The flowers that I break for him
Are such as these—
They know nothing of the time,
Ever blooming without end.