Ume no hana chiru chō nae ni harusame no furide tsutsu naku uguisu no koe - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

梅の花散るてふなへに春雨の
ふりでつつ鳴く鴬の声

Roma-ji: Ume no hana chiru chō nae ni harusame no furide tsutsu naku uguisu no koe
English Translation: The blossoms of plum
are falling, they say, and with that
the spring rain comes down,
while the warbler, pouring out its cry,
sings and sings its song
Meaning: Just as the plum blossoms are said to be falling, the spring rain comes down, and through it the warbler keeps pouring out its song.
Commentary: Book One Spring Poems I 40

Headnote: "Composed on a spring day, as the occasion arose."
As the plum blossoms fall, the spring rain comes down, and within it the warbler sings on, straining its voice. In the warbler's song, as if mourning the falling plum, the poet senses the mood of passing spring.
According to the headnote, it was composed on a spring day when some occasion presented itself.
The poet is listed as "anonymous," and the composer's name has not come down to us.

The first line, "The blossoms of plum," presents the plum as it scatters.
In the second line, "chō" is a contraction of "to iu," "they say," and "nae ni" means "along with, as."
The third line, "the spring rain," names the rain scattering the plum, and leads into "furi." Spring rain also appears in this book in 4, 32, and 39.
In the fourth line, "furide" is a pivot word joining the rain "falling" and the bird "pouring out" its voice. "Tsutsu" marks repetition and continuation.
The last line, "the warbler's song," ends on a noun, leaving the scene of plum, spring rain, and warbler blended into one as a lingering resonance.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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