Yorozuyo no hana no tameshi ya kyō naramu mukashi mo kakaru haru shi nakereba - Senzai Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

万代の花のためしや今日ならむ
昔もかかる春しなければ

Roma-ji: Yorozuyo no hana no tameshi ya kyō naramu mukashi mo kakaru haru shi nakereba
English Translation: For ten thousand years
the model of blossom viewing
will be this day, surely,
since never in the days of old
has there been a spring like this
Meaning: Surely today will be the model of blossom viewing for ten thousand years to come, for never in the past has there been such a spring as this.
Commentary: Book One Spring Poems I 45

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Composed on the day when, after Emperor Toba had stepped down from the throne, he made an excursion to Shirakawa to view the blossoms"
Like the preceding poem, this one was composed on the day Retired Emperor Toba went to Shirakawa to view the blossoms. The poet declares that today's blossom excursion will surely be handed down as the model of flower viewing for ten thousand years, since never before has there been so splendid a spring. He celebrates the blossom feast welcoming the Retired Emperor in the highest terms.
The author, "the Tokudaiji Minister of the Left (then Captain of the Left Military Guards)," is Fujiwara no Saneyoshi, son of Provisional Major Counselor Fujiwara no Kinzane. He rose to Minister of the Left and founded the Tokudaiji house, and he was the elder brother of Taikenmon'in Tamako. The note added to his name indicates that he was Captain of the Left Military Guards when he composed this poem.

First line, "yorozuyo no": "of ten thousand ages," endless years.
Second line, "hana no tameshi ya": "tameshi" is a precedent that serves as a model for later ages. The interrogative "ya" links with "mu" in the third line.
Third line, "kyō naramu": "will surely be today," and the poem pauses here. 50 in this book likewise responds to an excursion by Retired Emperor Shirakawa with "tameshi ni wa semu," sharing the idea of making the day of an imperial visit a model for later ages.
Fourth line, "mukashi mo kakaru": "in the past, too, such a."
Fifth line, "haru shi nakereba": "shi" is emphatic: "since there was no such spring," giving afterward by inversion the reason for the first three lines.
Author: Fujiwara no Saneyoshi
Source: Senzai Wakashu
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