Kaze fukeba momichi chiritsutsu sukunaku mo aga no matsubara kiyoku aranaku ni

風吹けば黄葉散りつつすくなくも
吾の松原清くあらなくに

Roma-ji: Kaze fukeba momichi chiritsutsu sukunaku mo aga no matsubara kiyoku aranaku ni
English Translation: When the wind blows by
crimson leaves keep scattering down,
and not in the least,
on the pine shore of Aga,
is there purity to see.
Meaning: Whenever the wind blows, the autumn leaves keep scattering, so that the pine grove of Aga is not clean in the least.
Commentary: Book Ten Autumn Miscellaneous Poems 2198

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "On Autumn Leaves"
This poem sings of autumn leaves scattering at every gust, spoiling the purity of the pine grove of Aga. In the image of falling leaves disturbing the clean green of the evergreen pines, it shows a somewhat complex feeling toward the scene of falling leaves. Using the construction "sukunaku mo ... naku ni," it strongly asserts that there is no purity at all.

The first line, "when the wind blows," gives the condition.
In the second line, "momichi chiritsutsu," "tsutsu" marks continuation: the leaves keep falling.
The third line, "sukunaku mo," with a negative below, means not in the least.
The fourth line, "the pine grove of Aga," is thought to be a place name, such as the Aga pine grove in Ise.
In the last line, "kiyoku aranaku ni," "naku ni" is a nominalized negative with "ni": it is not clean at all.
Source: Manyoshu
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