Shiratsuyu o tama ni nuku ya to sasagani no hana ni mo ha ni mo ito o mina eshi - Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

白露を玉に貫くやとささがにの
花にも葉にも糸をみなへし

Roma-ji: Shiratsuyu o tama ni nuku ya to sasagani no hana ni mo ha ni mo ito o mina eshi
English Translation: Is it to string the
white dewdrops into jewels?—
the little spider
on the flowers and the leaves
has stretched its threads all around.
Meaning: As if meaning to thread the white dewdrops into strands of jewels, the spider has stretched its silk over every flower and every leaf.
Commentary: Book Ten Names of Things 437

Headnote: "Maiden flower"
This poem pictures a spider stretching its threads over flowers and leaves, as though to string the white dew into jewels. The title "ominaeshi" (maiden flower) is hidden in "ito o mina eshi" in the fifth line. It is a witty poem that sees a dew-soaked spider web as threads meant to string jewels. From here, with the next poem, 438, and then 439, three poems in a row take the maiden flower as their title.
The poet, "Tomonori," is Ki no Tomonori. A cousin of Ki no Tsurayuki, he was one of the compilers of the Kokinshu but died before it was completed. He is one of the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets.

First line "Shiratsuyu o" means "the white dew" on flowers and grasses, naming what is being likened.
Second line "tama ni nuku ya to" wonders "is it to thread them as jewels?" with "ya" marking a question.
Third line "sasagani no" is a word for the spider, running on as the subject of what follows.
Fourth line "hana ni mo ha ni mo" means "on flowers and on leaves alike," showing the web spread everywhere.
Fifth line "ito o mina eshi" means "has stretched its threads all over." The title "ominaeshi" is hidden in "o mina eshi."
Author: Ki no Tomonori
Source: Kokin Wakashu
Prev Poem: Ware wa kesa ui ni zo mitsuru hana no iro o ada naru mono to iu bekarikeri
Next Poem: Asatsuyu o wake sobochitsutsu hana mimu to ima zo noyama o mina e shirinuru