Oru hito no te ni wa tomarade ume no hana ta ga utsuriga ni naran to suran

折る人の手にはとまらで梅の花
誰が移り香にならんとすらん

Roma-ji: Oru hito no te ni wa tomarade ume no hana ta ga utsuriga ni naran to suran
English Translation: Not staying in the hand
of the one who breaks the branch,
this blossom of the plum—
whose sleeves, I wonder, now
will its fragrance cling to?
Meaning: Not staying in the hand of the one who breaks it off, the plum blossom—whose clinging fragrance is it about to become?
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 1261

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "One hundred and ten love poems"
Not staying in the hand of the one who breaks it off, whose sleeves will the plum blossom's scent cling to? the poet wonders.
Likening the beloved to plum blossom, it sings of the fear that, though one tries to make her one's own, she will slip away and belong to someone else. In 1255 the futility of a plum fragrance that cannot be plucked was also sung.

First line, “oru hito no”: of the one who breaks the branch, the one seeking love.
Second line, “te ni wa tomarade”: de is a negative conjunction, "not staying in his hand."
Third line, “ume no hana”: plum blossom, figuring the beloved.
Fourth line, “ta ga utsuriga ni”: as whose clinging scent.
Fifth line, “naran to suran”: ran conjectures, "is it about to become?"
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
Prev Poem: Ima wa sa wa oboenu yume ni nashihatete hito ni katarade yamine to zo omou
Next Poem: Utatane no yume o itoishi toko no ue ni kesa ika bakari okiukaruran