Natsukashiki kimi ga kokoro no iro o ikade tsuyu mo chirasade sode ni tsutsuman

なつかしき君が心の色をいかで
露も散らさで袖に包まん

Roma-ji: Natsukashiki kimi ga kokoro no iro o ikade tsuyu mo chirasade sode ni tsutsuman
English Translation: The color so dear
of the heart you've shown to me—
how might I keep it,
not letting fall a single drop,
safe within my sleeves?
Meaning: How might I keep the dear color of your heart wrapped in my sleeves, without letting a single drop of it scatter?
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 1322

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "One hundred and ten love poems"
How might I wrap the dear color of your heart in my sleeves without spilling a single drop? the poet asks.
Likening the affection shown him to dew that spills easily, he wishes to wrap it in his sleeves so as not to lose any of it. Tsuyu mo joins "not in the least" with "dew."

First line, “natsukashiki”: dear, beloved.
Second line, “kimi ga kokoro no”: of your heart.
Third line, “iro o ikade”: iro is the color of the heart, its affection; ikade is "somehow"; the line has an extra syllable.
Fourth line, “tsuyu mo chirasade”: tsuyu mo joins "not a bit" and "dew"; de is a negative conjunction.
Fifth line, “sode ni tsutsuman”: n is volitional, "I would wrap it in my sleeves."
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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