Kimi ga yo no tameshi ni nani o omowamashi kawaranu matsu no iro nakariseba

君が世のためしに何を思はまし
変はらぬ松の色なかりせば

Roma-ji: Kimi ga yo no tameshi ni nani o omowamashi kawaranu matsu no iro nakariseba
English Translation: As an emblem of
my lord's reign, what else
could I bring to mind,
if there were not the color
of the pine that never fades?
Meaning: Were there not the unchanging green of the pine, what else could I think of as a sign of our lord's enduring reign?
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 1176

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Congratulations"
If there were no unchanging green of the pine, what else could one think of as the emblem of the lord's long reign? the poet asks.
The evergreen pine symbolizes long life and constancy. Through a counterfactual, the poem stresses that the pine alone is the true model of the reign's eternity, expressing celebration.

First line, “kimi ga yo no”: of the lord's reign.
Second line, “tameshi ni nani o”: tameshi is a model or precedent.
Third line, “omowamashi”: mashi is counterfactual, "what would I think of?"; the poem breaks here.
Fourth line, “kawaranu matsu no”: of the pine that never changes.
Fifth line, “iro nakariseba”: seba is the counterfactual condition, "if it had no green," the inversion giving the supposition at the end.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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