Hana no chiru ko no shitakage wa onozukara somenu sakura no koromo o zo kiru - Senzai Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

花の散る木の下陰はおのづから
染めぬ桜の衣をぞ着る

Roma-ji: Hana no chiru ko no shitakage wa onozukara somenu sakura no koromo o zo kiru
English Translation: In the shade beneath
the trees where the blossoms fall,
all on its own
a robe of cherry color
that no one dyed I wear
Meaning: Standing in the shade beneath the trees where the blossoms fall, I find myself wearing, all on its own, a cherry-colored robe that no one dyed.
Commentary: Book Two Spring Poems II 85

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Composed on cherries when presenting a hundred-poem sequence in the reign of Emperor Horikawa"
Like the preceding poem, this was composed on "cherries" for the Horikawa Hundred-Poem Sequence. Standing in the shade of trees where the blossoms fall, the poet is covered with petals and finds himself wearing, as if naturally, a cherry-colored robe that no one troubled to dye. Drawing on the custom of robes dyed or layered in cherry colors, the conceit that the falling blossoms themselves dye the robe conveys the joy of standing beneath the flowers.
The author, "Fujiwara no Nakazane Ason," was the son of Fujiwara no Yoshinari, Governor of Echizen. He rose to Senior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade, and was active in Emperor Horikawa's poetry circle. One of the poets of the Horikawa Hundred-Poem Sequence, he also wrote works on poetics.

First line, "hana no chiru": picking up "chiru hana goto ni" from the preceding poem, 84, it opens with the scene of falling blossoms.
Second line, "ko no shitakage wa": "in the shade beneath the trees." Like 77 and 81 of this book, it depicts the ground under trees where blossoms fall.
Third line, "onozukara": "of itself, naturally."
Fourth line, "somenu sakura no": "of cherry color, not dyed," showing the conceit that the falling blossoms, not human hands, dye the robe.
Fifth line, "koromo o zo kiru": "zo" closes with the attributive "kiru." Being covered in petals is likened to wearing a cherry-colored robe. The poem two places later, 90, with "hana no nishiki wa kitaredomo," likewise likens blossoms falling on one's body to a garment.
Author: Fujiwara no Nakazane
Source: Senzai Wakashu
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