Waga yado no sakura no iro wa usuku tomo hana no sakari wa kite mo oranamu - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

我が宿の桜の色は薄くとも
花の盛りはきても折らなむ

Roma-ji: Waga yado no sakura no iro wa usuku tomo hana no sakari wa kite mo oranamu
English Translation: Though at my own house
the color of the cherry
may be pale and faint,
when the blossoms are at their height
wear it, come, and break the flowers
Meaning: Though the cherry color from my house is pale, at the height of the blossoms, wear it and come to break off the flowers.
Commentary: Book Two Spring Poems II 77

Headnote: "To a man who visited her in secret, on hearing that there would be an imperial excursion in spring, she prepared a full set of court attire to send him, and attached this to a cherry-colored under-robe."
Though the cherry hue she dyed may be pale, she asks him to wear it at the height of the blossoms and come to her. The poem holds both her care for a man about to appear on a formal occasion and her longing for his visit.
According to the headnote, hearing there would be an imperial excursion in spring, she made a full set of attire for the man who visited her in secret and attached this poem to the cherry-colored under-robe she sent.
The poet is listed as "anonymous," and the composer's name has not come down to us. The text gives the poet as "yomibito mo," which is treated here as "anonymous."

The first line, "Waga yado no," means "of my house." 79 of this book also begins with "Waga yado no."
The second line, "sakura no iro wa," likens the cherry color of the under-robe she prepared to the garden cherry.
In the third line, "tomo" is a concessive: "even if the color is pale." The paleness also carries her modesty about herself.
The fourth line, "hana no sakari wa," refers to the peak of the cherries, the festive season of the imperial excursion.
In the last line, "ki" is a pivot word joining "kiru," to wear a garment, and "ku," to come visiting. "Namu" expresses a wish to another: "please break them off."
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
Prev Poem: Nerarenu o shiite waga nuru haru no yo no yume o utsutsu ni nasu yoshi mogana
Next Poem: Toshi o hete hana no tayori ni koto towaba itodo ada naru na o ya tachinan