Kasanete wa koiemahoshiki utsuriga o hanatachibana ni kesa taguetsutsu

重ねてはこひえまほしき移り香を
花橘に今朝たぐへつつ

Roma-ji: Kasanete wa koiemahoshiki utsuriga o hanatachibana ni kesa taguetsutsu
English Translation: Once again I would
ask to have it, layer on layer,
your scent left with me,
to the orange blossoms' breath
this morning likening it.
Meaning: Longing to receive once more the scent of you left on my robes, this morning I keep comparing it to the fragrance of the orange blossoms.
Commentary: Love Poems 587

Headnote: "The morning after, with orange blossoms"
The topic pairs the morning after with the blossoms of the mandarin orange. Going home after parting, the poet longs to receive once more the scent of his beloved that lingers on his robe, and on this morning he compares it to the fragrance of the orange blossoms as he remembers her. The scent of tachibana was traditionally said to recall the sleeves of someone from the past, and this tradition is turned here to the lingering of the morning's parting.

First line, “kasanete wa”: once again, layered upon what was, suggesting the robes laid together in the night.
Second line, “koiemahoshiki”: wishing to ask for and receive; mahoshi expresses desire.
Third line, “utsuriga o”: utsuriga is a scent that has passed onto one's robes, here the scent of the beloved.
Fourth line, “hanatachibana ni”: the blossoms of the mandarin orange, whose scent was said to recall someone from the past, answering the topic.
Fifth line, “kesa taguetsutsu”: taguu is to compare or set side by side, and tsutsu marks continuing action; the poem trails off with a lingering sense. Kesa, this morning, answers the topic.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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