Shirakumo no ue shiru kyō zo harusame no furu ni kai aru mi to wa shiri nuru - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

白雲の上知る今日ぞ春雨の
ふるにかひある身とは知りぬる

Roma-ji: Shirakumo no ue shiru kyō zo harusame no furu ni kai aru mi to wa shiri nuru
English Translation: Above the white clouds
I know at last this day, and so
like the spring rain's
long falling, the years I waited
have proved worth it, I now know
Meaning: Today, at last admitted above the white clouds into my lord's presence, I know that the long months I have passed, falling like the spring rain, were not in vain.
Commentary: Book One Spring Poems I 4

Headnote: "A newly arrived lady serving in a certain household, after many months had passed, was permitted into her lord's presence around the first day of the First Month; seeing the rain fall."
The poem entrusts to the falling spring rain the joy of being at last admitted into her lord's presence after a long wait. It holds the relief and happiness of patience finally rewarded after many months.
According to the headnote, a lady newly in service in someone's household was permitted to appear before her master around the beginning of the First Month after a long time, and composed this on seeing the rain. The headnote suggests that the new lady herself is the poet.
The poet is listed as "anonymous," and the composer's name has not come down to us.

The first line, "Above the white clouds," points to the white clouds high in the sky and, together with "above," signifies an exalted place.
The second line, "I know at last this day," refers to the day she was allowed into her master's presence, above the white clouds. The particle "zo" forms a kakarimusubi pattern with the attributive "nuru" of the last line.
The third line, "the spring rain," names the rain falling early in the First Month and leads into "furu." Spring rain also appears in this book in 32 and 40.
In the fourth line, "furu" is a pivot word meaning both the rain "falling" and the months "passing," showing that the long months of waiting were worthwhile.
The last line, "I now know," answers the "zo" of the second line by ending in the attributive "nuru," expressing her renewed sense of good fortune.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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