Isa ya mata tsukihi no yuku mo shiranu mi wa hana no haru to mo kyō koso wa mire - Shin Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

いさやまた月日のゆくも知らぬ身は
花の春とも今日こそは見れ

Roma-ji: Isa ya mata tsukihi no yuku mo shiranu mi wa hana no haru to mo kyō koso wa mire
English Translation: Well, I cannot say—
I, who knew not even how
the months and days passed,
only today have seen it
as the springtime of blossoms.
Meaning: Well, I cannot say—I, who did not know even that the months and days were passing, see it as the season of blossoms only today.
Commentary: Book Sixteen Miscellaneous Poems I 1458

Headnote: "Composed when I went out after the Later Tokudaiji Minister of the Left invited me to view the blossoms at Shirakawa, at a time when I was living in seclusion."
This is the eighth poem of the sequence on the cherry. The poet, who had shut himself away without even knowing how the months and days passed, says that only today does he see it as the spring of blossoms. According to the headnote, it was composed when the poet, living in seclusion, was invited by the Later Tokudaiji Minister of the Left to view the blossoms at Shirakawa and went out.
The author, "Minamoto no Moromitsu," was a poet of the late Heian period and the father of Minamoto no Tomochika and Kunaikyō.
The "Later Tokudaiji Minister of the Left" of the headnote is Fujiwara no Sanesada. The son of Fujiwara no Kin'yoshi, he rose to Minister of the Left. Shirakawa is the district east of the capital along the east bank of the Kamo River, known as a famous place for blossoms.

In the first line, "isa ya mata," "isa" is a word that leaves an answer vague: "well, I cannot say." It expresses the uncertainty of one who has been withdrawn from the world.
The second line, "tsukihi no yuku mo," refers to the passing of months and days. It shows the flow of time during his seclusion.
The third line, "shiranu mi wa," refers to himself, who did not know of it. Against the brightness of "au yo arikeri" in the preceding poem, it becomes the reflection of one left behind by the world.
The fourth line, "hana no haru to mo," means "that it is the spring of blossoms." It shows that, invited to the blossoms of Shirakawa, he learned the season for the first time.
The last line, "kyō koso wa mire," closes the kakari-musubi of the particle "koso" with the perfective form "mire." It stresses this very day, conveying gratitude to Sanesada for the invitation.
Author: Minamoto no Moromitsu
Source: Shin Kokin Wakashu
Prev Poem: Furusato to omoi na hate so hanazakura kakaru miyuki ni au yo arikeri
Next Poem: Oru hito no sore naru kara ni ajikinaku mishi waga yado no hana no ka zo suru