Momoshiki ni kawaranu mono wa ume no hana orite kazaseru nioi narikeri - Shin Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

百敷に変はらぬものは梅の花
折りてかざせる匂ひなりけり

Roma-ji: Momoshiki ni kawaranu mono wa ume no hana orite kazaseru nioi narikeri
English Translation: Within the palace,
the thing that has not changed at all
is the plum blossom:
the fragrance of the sprays I broke
and wore upon my headdress.
Meaning: What has not changed within the palace is the fragrance of the plum blossoms I broke off and wore in my headdress.
Commentary: Book Sixteen Miscellaneous Poems I 1444

Headnote: "Composed after breaking off plum blossoms on the day of a royal entertainment in the first month of the year after I had returned to the post of Chamberlain of the Fifth Rank in Shōhei 8, in the reign of Emperor Suzaku, having left it around the Enchō era."
This is the fourth poem of the sequence on the warbler and the plum. What has not changed in the palace, the poet says, is the fragrance of the plum blossoms broken off and worn in the headdress. According to the headnote, the poet, who had left the post of Chamberlain of the Fifth Rank around the Enchō era, returned to it in Shōhei 8 under Emperor Suzaku and composed this poem, breaking off plum blossoms, on the day of a royal entertainment in the first month of the following year.
The author, "Minamoto no Kintada Ason," was a grandson of Emperor Kōkō and the son of Minamoto no Kuninori. He served as chamberlain under Emperors Daigo and Suzaku and rose to Major Controller of the Right. He is one of the Thirty-Six Poetic Immortals.
"Suzaku-in" in the headnote refers to Emperor Suzaku. Shōhei 8 is the year renamed Tengyō 1, and the following year is Tengyō 2. A Chamberlain of the Fifth Rank is one appointed chamberlain while holding the fifth rank.

In the first line, "momoshiki ni," "momoshiki" refers to the palace. The feeling of returning to a palace long left behind is contained in this single word.
The second line, "kawaranu mono wa," implies how much has changed over the years, and seeks among them what has not changed.
The third line, "ume no hana," is "ume no hana" placed in the third line, following 1442 and the preceding poem.
In the fourth line, "orite kazaseru," "kazasu" means to wear flowers or branches in one's hair or headdress. The "ru" is the auxiliary of continuation.
In the last line, "nioi narikeri," "keri" expresses the exclamation of sudden realization. The poet finds what has not changed not in the plum's color but in its fragrance, contrasting with the next poem, which gives no thought to either color or scent.
Author: Minamoto no Kintada
Source: Shin Kokin Wakashu
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