Waga yado no hana no ha ni nomi nuru chō no ika naru asa ka hoka yori wa kuru - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

我が宿の花の葉にのみ寝る蝶の
いかなるあさかほかよりは来る

Roma-ji: Waga yado no hana no ha ni nomi nuru chō no ika naru asa ka hoka yori wa kuru
English Translation: The butterfly that sleeps
only on the leaves of flowers
growing at my home—
on what kind of morning, then,
does it come from somewhere else?
Meaning: The butterfly sleeps only on the leaves of the flowers at my house; on what sort of morning, then, does it come from elsewhere?
Commentary: Book Seven Names of Things 364

Headnote: "Asagao (morning glory)"
The poet wonders on what sort of morning the butterfly, which sleeps only on the flower leaves at his house, comes from elsewhere. Within the puzzle over a butterfly that should always be at home, the name of the morning glory given in the headnote is hidden in the run of sounds "asa ka ho" from the fourth to the final line. The headnote names the thing hidden in the poem.

First line, "waga yado no," means "at my house."
Second line, "hana no ha ni nomi," means "only on the leaves of the flowers."
Third line, "nuru chō no," means "the butterfly that sleeps."
Fourth line, "ika naru asa ka," means "on what kind of morning," with "ka" a questioning particle. Together with "ho" at the start of the final line, it hides the name "asagao."
Final line, "hoka yori wa kuru," means "does it come from elsewhere," with "ka" resolved by the attributive "kuru."
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Shui Wakashu
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