Oshimedomo haru no kagiri no kyō no mata yūgure ni sae narinikeru kana - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

惜しめども春の限りの今日の又
夕暮れにさへなりにけるかな

Roma-ji: Oshimedomo haru no kagiri no kyō no mata yūgure ni sae narinikeru kana
English Translation: Though I grieve for it,
this last day of all the spring,
today, has now come
even to the evening hour—
how swiftly it has passed
Meaning: No matter how I cling to it, today, the last day of spring, has now turned to evening as well.
Commentary: Book Three Spring Poems III 141

Headnote: "Topic unknown."
However much the poet regrets it, today, the last day of spring, has now grown to evening. Overlaying the end of spring with the end of a day, the poem deepens the regret for the departing season.
From this poem to the closing poem of the book, 146, follows a sequence of poems regretting the last day of spring.
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."

In the first line, "domo" is adversative: "however much I regret it."
In the second line, "kagiri" means the last or the end, naming spring's final day. 143 of this book uses the same word in "haru no kagiri wa."
The third line, "kyō no mata," means "today, the last of spring, and further still." It also echoes "haru sae kyō ni" in 137 of this book.
In the fourth line, "sae" is additive: "even to evening, the end of the day." The measure of the season's end is laid over the measure of a single day's end.
In the last line, "kana" expresses a sigh. It is the same last line as 137 of this book.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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