Chiru hana wa mata kon haru mo sakinu beshi wakare wa itsu ka meguriau beki

散る花はまた来ん春も咲きぬべし
別れはいつかめぐり逢ふべき

Roma-ji: Chiru hana wa mata kon haru mo sakinu beshi wakare wa itsu ka meguriau beki
English Translation: The falling blossoms
with the coming of next spring
will surely bloom again;
but this parting, when will it
ever come round to meeting?
Meaning: The falling blossoms will surely bloom again when spring returns; but this parting, when will it ever come round to a meeting again?
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 828

Headnote: "Reply"
This is Fujiwara no Nagenori's reply. Nagenori was a son of the Second Rank Lady and held the rank of Lesser Captain. The falling blossoms will bloom again next spring, but when will we ever meet again after this parting? he writes, taking up 'chirijiri' and setting the flowers that return each spring against a parting that may never be undone.

First line, “chiru hana wa”: taking up 'chirijiri' in the second line of the preceding poem.
Second line, “mata kon haru mo”: in the spring that comes again.
Third line, “sakinu beshi”: will surely bloom; the poem breaks here.
Fourth line, “wakare wa itsu ka”: ka is answered by beki in the fifth line; set against the falling blossoms of the first line.
Fifth line, “meguriau beki”: when shall we meet again, meguru echoing the turning of the spring.
Author: Fujiwara no Nagonori
Source: Sankashu
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