Fukimidaru kaze ni nabiku to miru hodo ni haru o musuberu aoyagi no ito

吹き乱る風になびくと見るほどに
春を結べる青柳の糸

Roma-ji: Fukimidaru kaze ni nabiku to miru hodo ni haru o musuberu aoyagi no ito
English Translation: As I watch them sway,
bending in the tangled wind
that blows wild and free—
the threads of the green willow
have bound up the spring itself.
Meaning: Even as I watch them bend in the wild, tangling wind, the green willow's threads catch the falling blossoms and bind up the spring itself.
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 1073

Headnote: "Seeing blossoms scatter onto a willow standing beside a cherry tree"
Saigyō composed this on seeing cherry petals fall onto a willow standing beside the cherry. As he watches the willow bend in the wildly blowing wind, its green threads catch the falling petals, as though binding up the spring itself.
Using the traditional image of willow branches as threads, the poem develops it into the conceit of threads tying up blossoms, and so tying up spring. Cherry and willow together were a typical sight of spring in the capital.

First line, “fukimidaru”: blowing wildly, in disorder.
Second line, “kaze ni nabiku to”: bending in the wind.
Third line, “miru hodo ni”: even as I watch, leading to a turn in the scene.
Fourth line, “haru o musuberu”: ru is the attributive of ri, "binding up the spring," catching the falling petals.
Fifth line, “aoyagi no ito”: ending on a noun, the traditional image of willow branches as threads; "threads" and "bind" are associated words.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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