いざさくら我もちりなむひとさかり
ありなば人にうきめ見えなむ
ありなば人にうきめ見えなむ
- Roma-ji
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Iza sakura ware mo chirinamu hitozakari
arinaba hito ni ukime mienamu - English Translation
-
Come, cherry blossoms—
I too shall fall away;
for once our time
of full bloom has passed,
we will show an unsightly form to others.
- Meaning
- Come, cherry blossoms—let me fall away with you. Once our moment of full bloom has passed, we will show an unseemly sight to others.
- Commentary
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Book II, Spring Poems (Part Two)
A poem composed on cherry blossoms at Unrin-in.
The poet admires the graceful way in which cherry blossoms fall. The reasoning—that one would rather fade before showing an unsightly form to others—gives the poem a somewhat rational tone, making it easy to sympathize with.
- Source
- Kokin Wakashu
- Prev Poem
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Hana chirasu kaze no yadori wa tare ka shiru
ware ni oshie yo yukite uramimu - Next Poem
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Hitome mishi kimi mo ya kuru to sakurabana
kyō wa machimite chiraba chiranamu