Uchitsuke ni sabishiku mo aru ka momijiba mo nushi naki yado wa iro nakarikeri - Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

うちつけに寂しくもあるかもみぢ葉も
主なき宿は色なかりけり

Roma-ji: Uchitsuke ni sabishiku mo aru ka momijiba mo nushi naki yado wa iro nakarikeri
English Translation: How suddenly now
loneliness has settled here;
even autumn leaves
at a house bereft of its lord
have no color left to show.
Meaning: How suddenly lonely it has become. Even the autumn leaves, at a house that has lost its master, have no color to show.
Commentary: Book Sixteen Poems of Lament 848

Headnote: "In the autumn after the Kawara Minister passed away, passing near his house and seeing that the leaves had not yet deepened in color, he composed this and sent it in to that house"
In the autumn of the year the Kawara Minister died, the poet passed near his mansion and, seeing that the leaves had not yet deepened in color, sent this poem into the house. He says that at a house which has lost its master, even the autumn leaves will not take on color, entrusting his mourning to the scene of nature.
The Kawara Minister is Minamoto no Tōru, a son of Emperor Saga who rose to Minister of the Left and built a magnificent mansion called Kawara-no-in at Rokujō-gawara.
The author, Minamoto no Yoshiari, was a son of Emperor Montoku who was made a commoner and rose to Minister of the Right. Because he lived in a mansion called Chikanoin, he was known as the Chikanoin Minister of the Right.

The first line, "all of a sudden," means abruptly.
The second line, "how lonely it is," uses ka as an exclamation. The poem breaks after the second line.
The third line, "even the autumn leaves," uses mo to mean "not only people but even the leaves."
The fourth line, "a house without its master," refers to Minamoto no Tōru's mansion.
The last line, "have no color," expresses realization with keri. In 851 of this book, plum blossoms at a masterless house bloom with their old color and scent, forming a contrast over the color of flowers.
Author: Minamoto no Yoshiari
Source: Kokin Wakashu
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