Yoshinoyama hito ni kokoro o tsukegao ni hana yori saki ni kakaru shirakumo

吉野山人に心をつけ顔に
花よりさきにかかる白雲

Roma-ji: Yoshinoyama hito ni kokoro o tsukegao ni hana yori saki ni kakaru shirakumo
English Translation: On Mount Yoshino,
as if bidding hearts to turn
toward what will come,
before the blossoms appear,
the white clouds are hanging there.
Meaning: On Mount Yoshino, as if to turn people's hearts toward what is coming, white clouds hang on the peaks before the blossoms open.
Commentary: Spring Poems 143

Headnote: "When composing fifteen poems on cherry blossoms"
This poem comes from a set of fifteen poems on cherry blossoms, and fifteen follow under this headnote. On Mount Yoshino, white clouds hang on the peaks before the blossoms open, as if alerting people that the flowers will soon come.
Until now, blooming cherries have been likened to white clouds; here real white clouds that hang before the blossoms are seen as heralding their arrival. The sequence of fifteen opens with the heart that waits for the flowers.

First line, “Yoshinoyama”: Mount Yoshino in Yamato, famed for its cherries.
Second line, “hito ni kokoro o”: people's hearts, toward the blossoms.
Third line, “tsukegao ni”: with an air of drawing attention, personifying the clouds.
Fourth line, “hana yori saki ni”: ahead of the blossoms.
Fifth line, “kakaru shirakumo”: the poem closes on a noun, the white clouds hanging on the peaks before the flowers.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
Prev Poem: Yoshinoyama hitomura miyuru shirakumo wa sakiokuretaru sakura naru beshi
Next Poem: Yama samumi hana saku beku mo nakarikeri amari kanete mo tazunekinikeru