Nagaki yo no tsuki no hikari no nakariseba kumoi no hana o ikade oramashi - Kinyo Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

長き夜の月の光のなかりせば
雲居の花をいかで折らまし

Roma-ji: Nagaki yo no tsuki no hikari no nakariseba kumoi no hana o ikade oramashi
English Translation: Through the long night hours
had there been no light at all
shining from the moon,
the flowers above the clouds
how could I have plucked a spray
Meaning: Had there been no moonlight through the long night, how could I ever have broken off a spray of the blossoms of the palace above the clouds?
Commentary: Book One Spring Poems 69

Thanks to the moonlight at night, the poet was able to break off a spray of the palace blossoms. Kumoi means both the sky and the imperial palace, and, through its association with moonlight, the palace flowers are presented as if blooming in the sky.

First line, 'nagaki yo no', is a long night, setting a scene of viewing flowers in the dark.
Second line, 'tsuki no hikari no', means the light of the moon.
Third line, 'nakariseba', is counterfactual, had there been none, pairing with mashi in the final line.
Fourth line, 'kumoi no hana o', means the flowers of the palace, kumoi being associated with the moon and sky. Unlike kumoi in poems 50 and 51, which means the sky, here it means the palace.
Final line, 'ikade oramashi', means how could I have broken them off, meaning I could not.
Source: Kinyo Wakashu
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