Yamamori wa iwaba iwanamu Takasago no onoe no sakura orite kazasamu - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

山守はいはばいはなむ高砂の
尾上の桜折りてかざさむ

Roma-ji: Yamamori wa iwaba iwanamu Takasago no onoe no sakura orite kazasamu
English Translation: Let the mountain guard
say what he will, if he would;
from Takasago's
peaks I'll break the cherry boughs
and wear them in my hair
Meaning: Let the mountain warden scold me if he likes; I shall break off the cherry blossoms on the high peak and wear them in my hair.
Commentary: Book Two Spring Poems II 50

Headnote: "When monks and laymen were drinking wine together at Kazan."
At a flower-viewing feast, the poet declares that if the mountain warden wants to scold, let him; he will break off the cherries on the peak and wear them in his hair. The bold tone, heedless of the warden's prohibition, captures the high spirits of a banquet absorbed in the blossoms.
According to the headnote, it was composed when monks and laypeople gathered to drink at Kazan. Kazan is the area of the Gangyōji in Yamashiro Province, the temple founded by the poet's father, Henjō.
The poet, the monk Sosei, was a son of Henjō. He took holy orders and lived at the Urin'in and elsewhere, and was active as a poet in the reigns of Emperors Uda and Daigo. He is counted among the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets.

The first line, "Yamamori wa," names the warden who protects the mountain's trees and forbids cutting or breaking them. Following Henjō's poem, a poem by his son Sosei is placed here.
In the second line, "iwaba" is conditional and "namu" a wish addressed to another: "if he would speak, let him speak." The poem pauses here.
The third line, "Takasago no," here means not the place name but a high mountain or peak.
In the fourth line, "onoe" means the top of a ridge, showing cherries blooming near the summit.
In the last line, "kazasu" means to wear flowers or sprigs in one's hair or cap, and "mu" expresses intention. Poem 45 of Book One also ends with "orite kazasamu," sharing the idea of adorning oneself with flowers at a feast.
Author: Sosei
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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