Asamidori nobe no kasumi wa tsutsumedomo koborete niou hanazakura kana - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

浅緑野辺の霞はつつめども
こぼれて匂ふ花桜かな

Roma-ji: Asamidori nobe no kasumi wa tsutsumedomo koborete niou hanazakura kana
English Translation: Pale green as it is,
though the haze upon the fields
wraps them all around,
spilling over, they glow so,
the blossoms of the cherry.
Meaning: Though the pale green haze over the fields wraps them round, the cherry blossoms spill out and glow with beauty.
Commentary: Book One Spring Poems 40

Headnote: "From the Kanke Man'yōshū"
Though the pale green haze over the fields tries to wrap and hide the cherries, their beauty spills over and catches the eye. The pairing of the haze's soft green and the cherries' color is vivid. According to the headnote, the poem is found in the Shinsen Man'yōshū, said to have been compiled by Sugawara no Michizane.

First line, "asamidori," means pale green, the color of the haze.
Second line, "nobe no kasumi wa," names the haze rising over the fields.
Third line, "tsutsumedomo," means "though the haze wraps them," with "domo" expressing concession.
Fourth line, "koborete niou," means spilling out uncontained and glowing beautifully; "tsutsumu" in the third line and "koboru" answer each other. "Niou" means a color shining beautifully.
Final line, "hanazakura kana," closes with the exclamatory "kana."
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Shui Wakashu
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