Kasugano no yukima o wakete oiidekuru kusa no hatsuka ni mieshi kimi wa mo - Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

春日野の雪間を分けて生ひ出で来る
草のはつかに見えし君はも

Roma-ji: Kasugano no yukima o wakete oiidekuru kusa no hatsuka ni mieshi kimi wa mo
English Translation: On Kasuga's plain
pushing through the gaps of snow
springing into sight
like new grass so faintly seen
ah, you whom I barely glimpsed
Meaning: Like the young grass that pushes up through the gaps in the snow on Kasuga Plain, you appeared to me only for a fleeting moment. Ah, you!
Commentary: Book Eleven Love Poems I 478

Headnote: "When he had gone to the Kasuga Festival, he sought out the house of a woman who had come out to watch the procession and sent this to her"
Having barely glimpsed a woman who had come out to see the Kasuga Festival, the poet sought out her house and sent her this poem. The fresh image of young grass sprouting through the lingering snow on Kasuga Plain serves as a preface, overlaid with the fleeting image of the woman seen for an instant. It is a poem in which the pure scene of early spring harmonizes with the fresh excitement of a glimpse of the beloved.
The poet, whose name is written in kana in the original, is Mibu no Tadamine. He was one of the compilers of the Kokinshu; though of low rank, he excelled in poetry and is credited with the treatise Ten Styles of Waka. He is one of the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets and the father of the poet Mibu no Tadami.

First line, "On Kasuga's plain": a poetic place in Yamato, the plain where Kasuga Shrine stands. It coincides with the festival of the headnote, giving the scene a real setting.
Second line, "pushing through the gaps of snow": yukima wo wakete means parting the places where the snow has melted, presenting an early-spring scene.
Third line, "springing into sight": oiidekuru means sprouting and growing. Lines one through three modify the grass of the fourth line and form a preface leading to hatsuka ni. The line has an extra syllable.
Fourth line, "like new grass so faintly seen": hatsuka ni means slightly or faintly, overlaying the sparse new grass with the brief glimpse of the beloved. Poem 481 of this book also uses hatsuka ni for a love barely touched.
Fifth line, "ah, you whom I barely glimpsed": wa mo is a final particle of strong exclamation, carrying longing for one no longer in sight. Like poem 476, two poems earlier, this is a love that begins with a glimpse.
Author: Mibu no Tadamine
Source: Kokin Wakashu
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