Isonokami Furu no yamabe no sakurabana uekemu toki o shiru hito zo naki - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

石上ふるの山辺の桜花
植ゑけむ時を知る人ぞなき

Roma-ji: Isonokami Furu no yamabe no sakurabana uekemu toki o shiru hito zo naki
English Translation: At Isonokami,
on the slopes of Furu's hill,
O cherry blossoms,
of the time when you were planted
there is no one left who knows
Meaning: O cherry blossoms on the slopes of Mount Furu at Isonokami, grown so old—there is no one left who knows when you were planted.
Commentary: Book Two Spring Poems II 49

Headnote: "On passing by Mount Furu in Yamato."
Passing Mount Furu in Yamato and seeing cherry trees that had bloomed there for ages, the poet reflects that no one remains who knows when they were planted. Echoing "furu," to grow old, in the place name Furu, he expresses his feeling for the cherries' age and the long years gone by.
According to the headnote, it was composed as he went by Mount Furu in Yamato Province. Furu is the site of Isonokami Shrine and was known as a land of ancient associations.
The poet, Henjō, was known in lay life as Yoshimine no Munesada. A grandson of Emperor Kanmu and son of Yoshimine no Yasuyo, he served Emperor Ninmyō but took holy orders on the emperor's death and later rose to Archbishop. He was the father of the monk Sosei and is counted among both the Six Poetic Immortals and the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets.

The first line, "Isonokami," is a pillow word for "Furu." Isonokami is also the name of the area that includes Furu.
In the second line, "furu" is a pivot word joining the place name "Furu" and "furu," to grow old. The scene shifts from the gardens of the preceding poems to a famous place in Yamato.
The third line, "sakurabana," presents the cherries blooming on the slopes of Furu. From here many cherry poems follow in this book.
In the fourth line, "kemu" is a past conjecture: "the time when they must have been planted." Whereas 47 of this book sings of a plum the poet planted himself, this poem sings of old cherries planted by no one knows whom, forming a contrast.
In the last line, "zo" forms a kakarimusubi pattern with the attributive "naki," stressing that no one knows.
Author: Henjō
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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