Sakari naranu ki mo naku hana no sakinikeru to omoeba yuki o wakuru yamamichi

盛りならぬ木もなく花の咲きにけると
思へば雪を分くる山道

Roma-ji: Sakari naranu ki mo naku hana no sakinikeru to omoeba yuki o wakuru yamamichi
English Translation: Not a single tree
but is in full flowering,
it seemed, all in bloom—
yet I find I'm walking on
a mountain path through the snow.
Meaning: I thought every tree had come into full bloom—and then I found I was on a mountain path, pushing through the snow.
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 1431

Headnote: none
He thought every tree had burst into full bloom, but it was a mountain path through snow, the poet says.
Seeing snow on the trees as blossoms in full bloom, it sings of the surprise of realizing it is snow. In 1361 of this book snow was likewise seen as flowers blooming on every tree alike. Full of extra syllables, the poem has a leisurely rhythm.

First line, “sakari naranu”: not in full bloom; the line has an extra syllable.
Second line, “ki mo naku hana no”: no tree without blossoms.
Third line, “sakinikeru to”: nikeru marks completion and past, "that they had bloomed"; the line has an extra syllable.
Fourth line, “omoeba yuki o”: when I thought so, the snow.
Fifth line, “wakuru yamamichi”: the mountain path pushing through it, ending on a noun.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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