Chirinubeki hana miru toki wa suga no ne no nagaki harubi mo mijikakarikeri - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

散りぬべき花見る時は菅の根の
長き春日も短かりけり

Roma-ji: Chirinubeki hana miru toki wa suga no ne no nagaki harubi mo mijikakarikeri
English Translation: When I look upon
the flowers about to fall,
like the sedge's roots,
even the long days of spring
I find have grown short indeed.
Meaning: When I gaze at blossoms about to fall, even the long days of spring seem short.
Commentary: Book One Spring Poems 57

Headnote: "For a folding screen in the reign of Tenryaku"
When one gazes at flowers about to fall, even the long spring day seems short. The poem captures, through the contrast of long and short, how regret changes one's sense of time. According to the headnote, it accompanied a screen in the Tenryaku era of Emperor Murakami.
Fujiwara no Kiyotada was the son of Fujiwara no Kanesuke, the Tsutsumi Middle Counselor, and is counted among the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets.

First line, "chirinubeki," with "nubeshi" expressing strong conjecture that something is about to happen, means "about to fall."
Second line, "hana miru toki wa," means "when I look at the flowers."
Third line, "suga no ne no," is a pillow word for "nagaki" (long), from the long roots of sedge.
Fourth line, "nagaki harubi mo," indicates the long daylight of spring.
Final line, "mijikakarikeri," pairs with "nagaki" in the fourth line, and "keri" expresses the realization.
Author: Fujiwara no Kiyotada
Source: Shui Wakashu
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