Mase ni saku hana ni mutsurete tobu chō no urayamashiku mo hakanakarikeri

籬に咲く花に睦れて飛ぶ蝶の
羨ましくもはかなかりけり

Roma-ji: Mase ni saku hana ni mutsurete tobu chō no urayamashiku mo hakanakarikeri
English Translation: Flitting about the
flowers blooming on the fence,
the butterfly there,
how I envy it, and yet
how fleeting a thing it is.
Meaning: The butterfly that flits about the flowers blooming on the fence, how I envy it, and yet how fleeting it is.
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 1026

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Topic unknown"
The butterfly flitting about the flowers on the fence, how I envy it, and yet how fleeting it is, the poet says, envying its joyful play among the blossoms while feeling the transience of its brief life.

First line, “mase ni saku”: mase is a low fence; blooming on it.
Second line, “hana ni mutsurete”: mutsuru is to cling close.
Third line, “tobu chō no”: the flying butterfly.
Fourth line, “urayamashiku mo”: enviable.
Fifth line, “hakanakarikeri”: and fleeting, set against the envy of the fourth line.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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