Kaze arami kozue no hana no nagarekite niwa ni nami tatsu Shirakawa no sato

風荒み梢の花の流れ来て
庭に波立つ白河の里

Roma-ji: Kaze arami kozue no hana no nagarekite niwa ni nami tatsu Shirakawa no sato
English Translation: So rough blows the wind,
blossoms from the topmost boughs
come flowing along,
and the garden swells with waves
in the village Shirakawa.
Meaning: The wind blows so roughly that blossoms come streaming from the treetops, and white waves rise across the garden in the village of Shirakawa.
Commentary: Spring Poems 136

Headnote: "On the topic “Garden blossoms like waves”"
The topic is garden blossoms resembling waves. Blown by the rough wind, petals come streaming from the treetops into the garden, as though white waves were rising there, in the village of Shirakawa.
The petals driven along by the wind are likened to waves, and the river in the place name Shirakawa echoes the waves. The ingenuity lies in a conceit that makes use of the place name, so that the garden itself appears to be a river.

First line, “kaze arami”: since the wind is rough; mi expresses cause.
Second line, “kozue no hana no”: of the blossoms falling from the treetops.
Third line, “nagarekite”: coming as if flowing; nagaru is a word associated with waves.
Fourth line, “niwa ni nami tatsu”: white waves rising in the garden, likening the drifting petals to waves.
Fifth line, “Shirakawa no sato”: closing on a noun; the river in the place name echoes the waves of the fourth line.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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