Nushi ika ni kaze wataru tote itouran yoso ni ureshiki ume no nioi o

主いかに風渡るとていとふらん
よそにうれしき梅の匂ひを

Roma-ji: Nushi ika ni kaze wataru tote itouran yoso ni ureshiki ume no nioi o
English Translation: How the owner must
resent the wind that blows across,
how he must hate it,
the plum fragrance that to me
next door brings such happiness.
Meaning: How the owner must resent the wind for blowing across his plum, while for me, from elsewhere, its fragrance is such a joy.
Commentary: Spring Poems 38

Headnote: "When I lived in Saga, plum blossoms scattered on the wind from a priest's lodging across the road"
According to the headnote, when the poet lived in Saga, plum blossoms came scattering on the wind from a priest's lodging across the road. The owner must hate the wind for scattering the flowers, he says, but for himself, a neighbour, the fragrance it carries is a delight.
The charm lies in noticing how the same wind is resented by the owner as scattering the flowers and welcomed by the neighbour as bringing their scent.

First line, “nushi ika ni”: how much the owner of the plum.
Second line, “kaze wataru tote”: just because the wind blows across.
Third line, “itouran”: must resent it, the conjectural ran guessing at the owner's feelings, with a break after the third line.
Fourth line, “yoso ni ureshiki”: delightful to one elsewhere, in contrast to the owner's dismay.
Fifth line, “ume no nioi o”: in an inverted, exclamatory close, it is the plum's fragrance that brings the joy.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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