Furusato wa hana koso itodo shinobarure chirinuru nochi wa tou hito mo nashi - Senzai Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

故郷は花こそいとどしのばるれ
散りぬるのちは訪ふ人もなし

Roma-ji: Furusato wa hana koso itodo shinobarure chirinuru nochi wa tou hito mo nashi
English Translation: In the old village
the blossoms are all the more
fondly remembered,
for once they have fallen
no one comes to call
Meaning: In this old, faded village the blossoms are all the more dearly missed, for once they have fallen, no one comes to call.
Commentary: Book Two Spring Poems II 102

Headnote: "Composed on the topic 'Blossoms Fall and Guests Grow Few'"
Composed on the topic "Blossoms Fall and Guests Grow Few." In an old, faded village the blossoms are all the more dearly missed, the poet says, because once they have fallen no one comes to visit. The loneliness of a place deserted by those who came for the flowers is expressed as longing for the blossoms. Following the preceding poem, 101, on the mountain garden after the blossoms fall, this poem tells of the village's loneliness after they are gone.
The author, "Fujiwara no Mototoshi," was the son of Minister of the Right Fujiwara no Toshiie. He was ranked alongside Minamoto no Toshiyori in Emperor Horikawa's poetry circle and was the teacher of Fujiwara no Shunzei, compiler of the Senzai Wakashū. His official career was undistinguished, ending at Junior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade.

First line, "furusato wa": "furusato" here is an old, faded village.
Second line, "hana koso itodo": the emphatic "koso" links with "rure" in the third line; "itodo" means "all the more."
Third line, "shinobarure": "shinobu" is to long for, and "rure" is the realized form of the spontaneous auxiliary "ru," closing the construction with "koso." The poem pauses here.
Fourth line, "chirinuru nochi wa": "after they have fallen," like "chirite no nochi zo" in the preceding poem, 101.
Fifth line, "tou hito mo nashi": "no one comes to visit," an inversion that gives the reason for the first three lines afterward. It echoes "tazunenu hito wa" in 97 of this book, about those who do not visit the blossoms.
Author: Fujiwara no Mototoshi
Source: Senzai Wakashu
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