Ana ume ni tsune naru beku mo mienu kana koishikaru beki ka wa nioitsutsu - Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

あなうめに常なるべくも見えぬかな
恋しかるべき香は匂ひつつ

Roma-ji: Ana ume ni tsune naru beku mo mienu kana koishikaru beki ka wa nioitsutsu
English Translation: Ah, how sad!—to the eye
it hardly seems a thing
that could last forever,
though the fragrance I shall long for
keeps on sweetly lingering.
Meaning: Ah, how sad—to my eyes it hardly seems a thing that could last forever, even as the scent I am bound to miss keeps drifting sweetly on.
Commentary: Book Ten Names of Things 426

Headnote: "Plum"
This poem laments that, to the eye, the blossoms hardly seem able to last forever, even while the scent that will later be missed goes on drifting. The title "ume" (plum) is hidden in "ana ume ni" in the first line, and the lower verse evokes the plum's own fragrance, so the hidden title and the content of the poem overlap. At its heart is regret that the height of bloom cannot last long.
The poet is recorded as "anonymous," and the name has not come down to us.

First line "Ana ume ni" is read "ana u, me ni," meaning "ah, how sad; to the eye." The title "ume" (plum) is hidden in the sounds spanning "u" and "me."
Second line "tsune naru beku mo" means "as something bound to remain unchanging," with "beshi" expressing what is expected.
Third line "mienu kana" sighs that it does not seem so. The poem pauses here.
Fourth line "koishikaru beki" means "that I am bound to long for later," anticipating the feeling after the blossoms fall.
Fifth line "ka wa nioitsutsu" means "while the fragrance goes on drifting," and "tsutsu" leaves a lingering close. By speaking of the plum's scent, it brings the hidden title to the surface of the poem as well.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Kokin Wakashu
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