Kawayanagi ito wa midori ni aru mono o izure ka ake no koromo naru ran - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

河柳糸は緑にあるものを
いづれかあけの衣なるらん

Roma-ji: Kawayanagi ito wa midori ni aru mono o izure ka ake no koromo naru ran
English Translation: The willow by the stream
has threads of green, nothing more,
and yet, I wonder,
which of them will be woven
into a robe of scarlet?
Meaning: The threads of the riverside willow are green, so which of them, I wonder, will become a robe of scarlet?
Commentary: Book Nine Miscellaneous Poems II 551

The poet asks which of the riverside willow's thread-like branches, all green, will become a robe of scarlet. Likening the willow's slender branches to thread, he asks the color of the robe to be woven from it, setting green against scarlet. Since among officials' robes green marked the sixth rank and scarlet the fifth, it can also be read as voicing a hope for promotion. Following the Ōhara River of the preceding poem, 550, it sings of a willow by the river.
The author, Fujiwara no Nakafumi, was a son of Fujiwara no Kimikazu who served Emperor Reizei from his days as crown prince and held posts such as Vice-Governor of Kōzuke. He is counted among the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets.
The main text has no headnote, and only the author's name, "Nakafumi," is written in the headnote field.

First line, "kawayanagi," means "a willow by the river," linking through the word for river with the fourth line of the preceding poem, 550, "Ōharagawa no."
Second line, "ito wa midori ni," means "its threads are green," likening the willow's slender branches to thread.
Third line, "aru mono o," means "though they are," with "mono o" a concessive particle.
Fourth line, "izure ka ake no," means "which of them, scarlet," with "ka" expressing a question that answers "ran" in the final line. It pairs in color with "midori" in the second line.
Final line, "koromo naru ran," means "will become a robe," with "ran" a conjectural auxiliary. It links "ito," thread, in the second line to "koromo," robe, in the final line through their natural association.
Author: Fujiwara no Nakafumi
Source: Shui Wakashu
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