Yamagatsu no kakine ni sakeru unohana wa ta ga shirotae no koromo kakeshi zo - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

山がつの垣根に咲ける卯の花は
誰が白妙の衣かけしぞ

Roma-ji: Yamagatsu no kakine ni sakeru unohana wa ta ga shirotae no koromo kakeshi zo
English Translation: The deutzia blooms
that flower along the hedge
of the mountain folk,
whose robe of pure white cloth is it
that someone has hung up there?
Meaning: The deutzia blooming on the hedge of a mountain dweller's hut, whose pure white robe has someone hung there?
Commentary: Book Two Summer Poems 93

Headnote: "Topic unknown"
The deutzia blooming on the hedge of a humble mountain home is likened to a white robe hung out by someone. By taking the form of a question, the poem expresses surprise at the whiteness spreading all along the hedge.

First line, "yamagatsu no," means "of the mountain folk," humble people who live in the hills. In contrast to the house of worship in the preceding poem, this poem takes up the home of a mountain dweller, forming a contrast of place.
Second line, "kakine ni sakeru," means "blooming on the hedge," carrying on the pairing of deutzia and hedges as in 80, 89 and 90 of this book.
Third line, "unohana wa," refers to the white deutzia and leads to the comparison in the second half.
Fourth line, "ta ga shirotae no," means "whose pure white." Using the same "shirotae no" as the preceding poem, it shifts the comparison from sacred offerings to a robe.
Final line, "koromo kakeshi zo," means "has hung a robe?", with "zo" at the end of the sentence strengthening the question.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Shui Wakashu
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