Ko no moto no hana ni koyoi wa uzumorete akanu kozue o omoiakasan

木の下の花に今宵は埋もれて
飽かぬ梢を思ひ明かさん

Roma-ji: Ko no moto no hana ni koyoi wa uzumorete akanu kozue o omoiakasan
English Translation: In the fallen blooms
underneath the tree, tonight
buried I shall lie,
and dream till dawn of treetops
I could never tire of seeing.
Meaning: Tonight I will lie buried in the blossoms fallen beneath the tree, and pass the night till dawn thinking of the treetops I can never tire of.
Commentary: Spring Poems 124

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "When composing many poems on falling blossoms"
Tonight the poet will sleep buried in the petals fallen beneath the tree, and spend the night until dawn thinking of the blossoms on the boughs above that he never tired of seeing.
Burying himself in the fallen flowers while thinking of those still on the branches, he shows a heart that longs to become one with the blossoms. Akanu and akasan repeat the sound aka, giving the poem its rhythm.

First line, “ko no moto no”: fallen beneath the tree.
Second line, “hana ni koyoi wa”: tonight, in those blossoms.
Third line, “uzumorete”: buried, lying down among the fallen flowers.
Fourth line, “akanu kozue o”: the treetop blossoms I never tire of.
Fifth line, “omoiakasan”: n expresses intention, I will pass the night thinking of them; akasa echoes aka in the fourth line.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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