Tsuyu mo aritsu kaesugaesu mo omoishirite hitori zo mitsuru asagao no hana

露もありつ返す返すも思ひ知りて
ひとりぞ見つる朝顔の花

Roma-ji: Tsuyu mo aritsu kaesugaesu mo omoishirite hitori zo mitsuru asagao no hana
English Translation: There was dew on it—
gone now; again and again
I come to know it,
as I gaze here all alone
at the morning glory's bloom.
Meaning: There was dew upon it a moment ago; knowing again and again how fleeting things are, I gazed alone at the morning glory.
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 1414

Headnote: none
There was dew just now, and now it is gone; realizing their transience again and again, he gazed alone at the morning glory, the poet says.
The morning glory, which blooms at dawn and withers by noon, and the dew that quickly vanishes are both emblems of impermanence. The poem portrays a recluse gazing at them alone, realizing again and again how fleeting the world is. Poems on renunciation and reflection follow.

First line, “tsuyu mo aritsu”: tsu is perfective, "there was dew"; the poem breaks after the first line.
Second line, “kaesugaesu mo”: again and again.
Third line, “omoishirite”: coming to know; the line has an extra syllable.
Fourth line, “hitori zo mitsuru”: zo is answered by the attributive tsuru.
Fifth line, “asagao no hana”: ending on a noun, the emblem of transience lingers.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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