Tane mo naki hana dani chiranu yado mo aru o nado ka katami no ko dani nakaran - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

種もなき花だに散らぬ宿もあるを
などか形見の子だになからむ

Roma-ji: Tane mo naki hana dani chiranu yado mo aru o nado ka katami no ko dani nakaran
English Translation: Though there are houses
where a flower with no seed
has not fallen yet,
why is there not even
a child to keep her memory
Meaning: There are houses where even a seedless flower has not yet fallen—so why is there not even a child left to remember her by?
Commentary: Book Twenty Congratulatory Poems 1392

Headnote: "When there was a letter from the Fourth Princess, writing on it and sending it to the Principal Handmaid."
The poet asks why, when there are houses where even a seedless flower has not fallen, there is not even a child left as a keepsake. Seeing the letter his late wife left, he seems to lament that while even a seedless flower remains unfallen, she left no child behind to remember her by.
According to the headnote, there was a letter from the late Fourth Princess, and he wrote this on it and sent it to the Principal Handmaid. The Fourth Princess seems to be Princess Kinshi, a daughter of Emperor Daigo who became the poet's wife. The next poem is the Principal Handmaid's reply, and the two form an exchange.
The poet, "the Minister of the Right," is Fujiwara no Morosuke. The second son of Fujiwara no Tadahira, he rose to Minister of the Right and was called Kujō-dono. His daughter Anshi became the empress of Emperor Murakami.

The first line, "Tane mo naki," means "without seed," taken up by "tane naranedomo" in the second line of the next poem.
The second line, "hana dani chiranu," means "where even a flower has not fallen," apparently likening the letter left behind to a flower.
The third line, "yado mo aru o," means "though there are houses," with "o" concessive.
The fourth line, "nado ka katami no," means "why, as a keepsake."
The last line, "ko dani nakaran," means "is there not even a child," closing the "ka" of the fourth line with the attributive "mu." "Seed," "flower," and "child" are set side by side as related words.
Author: Fujiwara no Morosuke
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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