Haru wa nao hana no nioi mo samo araba are tada mi ni shimu wa akebono no sora - Senzai Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

春はなほ花の匂ひもさもあらばあれ
ただ身にしむは曙の空

Roma-ji: Haru wa nao hana no nioi mo samo araba are tada mi ni shimu wa akebono no sora
English Translation: In spring, after all,
as for the beauty of the blossoms,
let it be as it may:
what pierces me to the core
is only the sky at dawn
Meaning: In spring, after all, the beauty of the blossoms may be what it may; what truly pierces me to the heart is the sky at dawn.
Commentary: Book One Spring Poems I 40

Headnote: "Composed as a poem on spring when presenting a hundred-poem sequence to Retired Emperor Sutoku"
Composed on the topic "spring" for a hundred-poem sequence presented to Retired Emperor Sutoku, this poem grants that blossoms are held to be spring's finest beauty, and lets that be as it may; what truly sinks into the heart is the sky at dawn. The bold assertion that sets aside the blossoms for the dawn sky reveals the poet's own aesthetic sense.
The author, "Fujiwara no Suemichi Ason," is Fujiwara no Suemichi, son of Provisional Major Counselor Fujiwara no Munemichi. Though his official career did not flourish, he was renowned as a master of the biwa and koto and was active in Retired Emperor Sutoku's poetry circle.
The idea of finding spring's beauty in the dawn recalls the opening of The Pillow Book, "In spring, the dawn."

First line, "haru wa nao": "nao" means "after all."
Second line, "hana no nioi mo": "nioi" is the lovely coloring or fragrance of the blossoms.
Third line, "samo araba are": "let it be as it may," a seven-syllable line exceeding the count. The poem pauses here.
Fourth line, "tada mi ni shimu wa": "what alone pierces me."
Fifth line, "akebono no sora": ends on a noun, the sky at daybreak. Where 28 and 29 in this book depicted "haru no akebono" with the warbler's song, this poem sets even the blossoms aside to praise the dawn sky itself.
Author: Fujiwara no Suemichi
Source: Senzai Wakashu
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