Yukizuri ni hitoeda orishi umegaka no fukaku mo sode ni shiminikeru kana

行きずりに一枝折りし梅が香の
深くも袖に染みにけるかな

Roma-ji: Yukizuri ni hitoeda orishi umegaka no fukaku mo sode ni shiminikeru kana
English Translation: Only in passing
I broke a single branch, yet
the fragrance of plum
how deeply into my sleeves
it has soaked and stayed with me!
Meaning: I broke off a single branch only in passing, yet how deeply the scent of the plum has soaked into my sleeves!
Commentary: Love Poems 596

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Love expressed through the plum"
The scent of a plum branch broken off casually in passing has seeped unexpectedly deep into the poet's sleeves. A love meant only as a passing encounter has sunk deep into his heart and cannot be forgotten, and this is entrusted to the plum's fragrance.
Where the preceding poem told of the wish to break off a branch, this one tells of the scent remaining deep in the sleeves after it is broken, the plum's fragrance pairing the time before love with the time after.

First line, “yukizuri ni”: in passing, a chance encounter.
Second line, “hitoeda orishi”: having broken off one branch, the wish of the preceding poem's oraba ya fulfilled.
Third line, “umegaka no”: the scent of the plum, answering the topic.
Fourth line, “fukaku mo sode ni”: deep into the sleeves, set against the lightness of yukizuri in the first line.
Fifth line, “shiminikeru kana”: kerukana is exclamatory: how it has soaked in, closing in surprise at the depth.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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