Tane nakute naki monogusa wa oinikeri maku chō koto wa araji to zo omou - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

種なくてなき物草は生ひにけり
まくてふ事はあらじとぞ思ふ

Roma-ji: Tane nakute naki monogusa wa oinikeri maku chō koto wa araji to zo omou
English Translation: Though there was no seed,
the grass called "Nothing There"
has come up and grown;
and so I think there will be
no sowing and no losing.
Meaning: Without any seed, the grass called "Nothing There" has grown; so I think there will be no sowing, and no losing either.
Commentary: Book Nine Miscellaneous Poems II 525

Headnote: "At a place where a grass contest was held"
The poet says that since the grass named "Nothing There" has grown without seed, there will be no sowing and no losing either. The headnote shows it was composed at a grass contest, where people brought grasses to compete. Taking up the grass's name, it is a witty poem to liven up the contest, saying that like grass grown without sowing, his side will not lose. It shares the words "tane" and "maku" with the preceding poem, 524, and where that poem told of a cancelled contest, this one tells of victory at a grass contest, so the two form a pair.
The author, Priest Egyō, was a monk of the mid-Heian period said to have served as lecturer at the provincial temple of Harima. He is one of the Thirty-Six Later Immortal Poets and is known for his poem "yaemugura" in the Hyakunin Isshu.

First line, "tane nakute," means "without seed," taking up the second line of the preceding poem, 524, "tane to naru ran."
Second line, "naki monogusa wa," means "the grass called Nothing There," taking up a grass that carries "naki," none, in its name.
Third line, "oinikeri," means "has grown," with "ni" perfective and "keri" exclamatory. The poem breaks after this third line.
Fourth line, "maku chō koto wa," means "such a thing as maku," with "chō" a contraction of "to iu." "Maku" is a pivot word on "sowing" seed and "losing" a match, using the same pivot as the fourth line of the preceding poem, 524, "maku hito nami no."
Final line, "araji to zo omou," means "I think there will not be," with the binding particle "zo" resolved by the attributive "omou."
Author: The Monk Egyo
Source: Shui Wakashu
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