Taguinaki omoiide wa no sakura kana usukurenai no hana no nioi wa

たぐひなき思ひいではの桜かな
薄紅の花のにほひは

Roma-ji: Taguinaki omoiide wa no sakura kana usukurenai no hana no nioi wa
English Translation: Without compare, these
cherries of Dewa, become
memories to keep—
the soft crimson of their blooms
shining in their loveliness.
Meaning: These cherry trees of Dewa will be a memory beyond compare—the lovely glow of their pale crimson blossoms.
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 1132

Headnote: "In the third month of the following year I crossed into Dewa Province and stayed at a mountain temple called Taki no Yama. The cherries there had blossoms of a pale crimson deeper than usual, standing in a row, and the people of the temple too were delighted at the sight"
In the third month of the next year Saigyō crossed into Dewa and stayed at the mountain temple of Taki no Yama, where cherry trees with blossoms of an unusually deep pale crimson stood in a row and the temple people enjoyed them too. These cherries of Dewa will be a memory beyond compare, he says, the glow of their pale crimson blossoms.
The heart of the poem is the pivot of omoide wa, "the memory," and Dewa, the province, joining a lifetime's memory with a place on the journey. The inversion vividly conveys how Saigyō, lover of Yoshino's cherries, was captivated by pale crimson blossoms at a temple in distant Dewa.

First line, “taguinaki”: beyond compare.
Second line, “omoiide wa no”: ide wa pivots on omoide wa, "the memory," and Dewa, the province.
Third line, “sakura kana”: kana is exclamatory, and the poem breaks here.
Fourth line, “usukurenai no”: of pale crimson, answering the headnote's blossoms.
Fifth line, “hana no nioi wa”: nioi is the glow of color; the inversion gives the reason for the emotion at the end.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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