Sakurabana utsurou toki wa miyoshino no yamashitakaze ni yuki zo furikeru

桜花うつろふ時はみ吉野の
山下風に雪ぞ降りける

Roma-ji: Sakurabana utsurou toki wa miyoshino no yamashitakaze ni yuki zo furikeru
English Translation: When the cherry blooms
begin to fade and fall away,
in fair Yoshino,
on the wind down from the hills
snow, it seemed, was falling there.
Meaning: When the cherry blossoms fade and fall at Yoshino, it seems as though snow is falling on the wind sweeping down the mountains.
Commentary: Spring Poems 82

Headnote: "Falling blossoms at a famous site"
The poet likens the cherry petals dancing on the wind blowing down from Yoshino's hills as the flowers fall to falling snow. He portrays the falling blossoms of famous Yoshino by overlaying them with snow, fitting for Yoshino, which is also renowned for snow.

Line 1 names the blossoms that fall, the subject of the topic.
Line 2: utsurou means for flowers to fade or fall.
Line 3 names famous Yoshino; Yoshino poems continue from the preceding poem, 81.
Line 4 names the wind blowing down from the mountain.
Line 5: zo with the attributive of keri forms a kakarimusubi, likening the falling blossoms to snow. Where 19 sang of snow in spring, here flowers are seen as snow. From the next poem, 83, the same comparison continues under the topic "blossoms resembling snow."
Author: Minamoto no Sanetomo
Source: Kinkaishu
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