Shirayuki no tomo ni waga mi wa furinuredo kokoro wa kienu mono ni zo arikeru - Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

白雪のともにわが身はふりぬれど
心は消えぬものにぞありける

Roma-ji: Shirayuki no tomo ni waga mi wa furinuredo kokoro wa kienu mono ni zo arikeru
English Translation: Just as the white snow
falls, so too this self of mine
has grown old and worn,
but my heart, I find, is one thing
that does not melt away
Meaning: Along with the falling white snow, I have grown old, yet my heart, I find, is something that does not melt away like the snow.
Commentary: Book Nineteen Miscellaneous Forms 1065

Headnote: "Topic unknown"
Punning on "furi," the falling of snow and the aging of the body, the poet says that though he has grown old along with the snow, his heart does not melt away like snow. Contrasting body and heart through words associated with snow is the wit that gives the poem its haikai quality.
The author, "Chisato," is Ōe no Chisato. The son of Ōe no Otondo, he was known as a scholar of Chinese learning and presented the Ōe no Chisato Collection of poems on lines from Chinese verse. He is one of the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets of the Middle Ages.

First line, "Shirayuki no," is the white snow, which also suggests white hair.
Second line, "tomo ni waga mi wa," means together with it, my self.
Third line, "furinuredo," is a pivot word joining "furu," to fall, of snow, and "furu," to grow old.
Fourth line, "kokoro wa kienu," uses "kie," to melt away, an associated word of snow: the heart does not vanish.
Fifth line, "mono ni zo arikeru," pairs "zo" with attributive "keru," the "keri" expressing realization.
Author: Oe no Chisato
Source: Kokin Wakashu
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