Chirisomuru hana no hatsuyuki furinureba fumiwake mauki Shiga no yamagoe

散りそむる花の初雪降りぬれば
踏み分けまうき志賀の山越え

Roma-ji: Chirisomuru hana no hatsuyuki furinureba fumiwake mauki Shiga no yamagoe
English Translation: Petals that began
to scatter, the first snowfall
of blossoms has come,
and I hesitate to tread
the pass across Shiga's hills.
Meaning: The blossoms beginning to fall have come down like the first snow, and I hesitate to tread my way through them on the mountain pass to Shiga.
Commentary: Spring Poems 105

Headnote: "Falling blossoms on a mountain path"
The topic is falling blossoms on a mountain path. Cherry petals that have begun to fall lie on the path like the first snow, and the poet is reluctant to tread on them as he crosses the mountain to Shiga.
Seeing the fallen petals as first snow, the poem expresses a reluctance to step on beautiful flowers. The Shiga pass, the mountain road from the capital to Shiga in Ōmi, was long celebrated in poetry for its blossoms. From here on, the poems on falling blossoms continue.

First line, “chirisomuru”: beginning to fall.
Second line, “hana no hatsuyuki”: the first snow of blossoms, likening the first falling petals to the year's first snow.
Third line, “furinureba”: since they have fallen and lain; furu is a word associated with snow.
Fourth line, “fumiwake mauki”: mau shi means reluctant, the hesitation to tread on the flowers.
Fifth line, “Shiga no yamagoe”: the poem closes on a noun, the mountain road from the capital over to Shiga in Ōmi.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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