Sakisomete ikuyo henuran sakurabana iro o ba hito ni akazu misetsutsu - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

咲きそめて幾世経ぬらん桜花
色をば人に飽かず見せつつ

Roma-ji: Sakisomete ikuyo henuran sakurabana iro o ba hito ni akazu misetsutsu
English Translation: Since you first bloomed here,
how many ages have passed,
O cherry blossoms,
showing your color to people
who never tire of the sight?
Meaning: How many ages have passed since you first began to bloom, cherry blossoms, showing your color to people who never tire of it?
Commentary: Book One Spring Poems 44

Headnote: "For a folding screen for a celebration"
The poem praises the cherry's long continuance, wondering through how many ages it has bloomed, showing its color to people who never tire of it. According to the headnote, it accompanied a screen for a celebration, and the long life of the cherry that blooms unchanged each year is overlaid with the longevity of the person being honored.
Fujiwara no Chikage was a poet of the mid-Heian period; little is known of his life.

First line, "sakisomete," means "having begun to bloom."
Second line, "ikuyo henuran," with "ran" for present conjecture, wonders "how many ages have passed?" and the poem pauses after the second line.
Third line, "sakurabana," stands as the one addressed.
Fourth line, "iro o ba hito ni," means "your color, to people."
Final line, "akazu misetsutsu," with "tsutsu" for repetition, shows it has gone on showing its color year after year.
Author: Fujiwara no Chikage
Source: Shui Wakashu
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