Akihagi o irodoru kaze wa fukinu tomo kokoro wa kareji kusaba naraneba - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

秋萩を色どる風は吹きぬとも
心はかれじ草葉ならねば

Roma-ji: Akihagi o irodoru kaze wa fukinu tomo kokoro wa kareji kusaba naraneba
English Translation: Upon the bush clover
the wind that brings its color
may well blow, and yet
my heart will never wither,
for it is no blade of grass
Meaning: Though the wind that colors the autumn bush clover may blow, my heart will not wither away from you—it is not a blade of grass.
Commentary: Book Five Autumn Poems I 224

Headnote: "Reply."
He replies that even if the wind that colors the bush clover blows, his heart is no blade of grass, and so it will neither wither nor drift away. He dispels her fears by declaring that a heart which is not grass does not change.
It forms an exchange with the preceding poem, 223.
The poet, Ariwara no Narihira, was a son of Prince Abo, himself a son of Emperor Heizei, and his mother was Princess Ito, a daughter of Emperor Kanmu. He rose to Provisional Middle Captain of the Right Palace Guards and was also called the Fifth Ariwara Captain. He is taken to be the hero of the Tales of Ise and is counted among both the Six Poetic Immortals and the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets.

The first line, "Akihagi o," repeats the opening of the preceding poem, giving the exchange a matching form.
The second line, "irodoru kaze wa," means "the wind that colors," taking up "irodoru kaze no" in the preceding poem.
In the third line, "tomo" is a conjunctive particle giving a hypothetical concession: "even if it has blown." Against "fukinureba" in the preceding poem, he answers "even if it blows."
In the fourth line, "kare" is a pivot word joining "karu," to wither, and "karu," to grow distant. "Ji" expresses negative intent: "it will not leave you." The poem pauses here.
The last line, "kusaba naraneba," means "since it is not grass," standing in inversion with the fourth line. "Karu" is an associated word of "kusaba," and taking up the bush clover of the preceding poem, it contrasts the heart with grass.
Author: Ariwara no Narihira
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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