classic waka stream

花見つつ人まつ時は白妙の
袖かとのみぞあやまたれける
Roma-ji

Hana mitsutsu hito matsu toki wa shirotae no
sode ka to nomi zo ayamatarekeru

English Translation
gazing on the flowers,
while I wait for one to come—
white as fine cloth sleeves,
so I thought them and mistook
what I saw before my eyes
Meaning
While gazing at the flowers and waiting for someone to come, I mistook them for the white sleeves of a robe.
Commentary
Book Five Autumn Poems (Part Two)

A poem composed on seeing a suhama in which a person waits for someone beneath chrysanthemum blossoms.

It expresses that the white chrysanthemums were mistaken for the sleeves of the person being awaited. In reality, such a mistake would not occur, but it suggests an illusion born from longing and anticipation.
Author
Ki no Tomonori
Source
Kokin Wakashu
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