Wasureji no yukusue made wa katakereba kyō o kagiri no inochi to mo gana - Shin Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

忘れじの行く末までは難ければ
今日を限りの命ともがな

Roma-ji: Wasureji no yukusue made wa katakereba kyō o kagiri no inochi to mo gana
English Translation: "I won't forget you"—
to the far end of the years
that is hard to keep;
so let today be the last,
the limit of my life, I pray
Meaning: Since it is hard for your vow, "I will never forget you," to hold true far into the future, I wish my life would end today, on the very day I heard it.
Commentary: Book Thirteen Love Poems III 1149

Headnote: "Written when the Middle Regent had first begun to visit her."
This is the opening poem of Love Poems III and the first poem of a sequence on the early days of a love affair. Since a lover's vow never to forget can hardly be kept far into the future, the speaker wishes her life would end on this happy day. According to the headnote, it was composed when the Middle Regent, Fujiwara no Michitaka, had begun to visit her. "Middle Regent" is the name by which Michitaka was known.
The author, "Mother of Gidō Sanshi," is Takashina no Takako. A daughter of Takashina no Naritada, she served at the court of Emperor En'yū and was called Kō no Naishi. She became the wife of Fujiwara no Michitaka and bore Korechika, Takaie, and Teishi, Empress to Emperor Ichijō. Gidō Sanshi is the title of her son Korechika, who was granted a rank equal to that of the ministers.
The poem was chosen as number 54 of the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu and is widely known. Love Poems III moves from the first meetings of lovers through the parting at dawn to the waiting for a lover who does not come, and at its head stands a poem that wishes for death at the height of a lover's joy.

The first line, "wasureji no," means "that you will not forget." The auxiliary "ji" expresses negative intention, quoting the very words of the vow spoken by the man who has begun to visit her.
The second line, "yukusue made wa," means "to the far end of the future." The particle "wa" adds a limitation: whatever may be true now, not so far ahead.
The third line, "katakereba," means "since it is hard." Her fear that the vow will not be kept for long is given as the reason, leading into the wish of the lower verse.
The fourth line, "kyō o kagiri no," means "with today as the limit." The "far future" of the second line and the "today" of the fourth form a contrast of far and near, showing a heart that turns from anxiety about what lies ahead and stakes everything on today's happiness.
In the last line, "inochi to mo gana," the final particle "mo gana" expresses a wish: "let it be my life's end." To wish for death on the very day of meeting is a fierce expression. Poem 1151 of this book resolves to meet even at the cost of life, and 1152 comes to treasure life after the meeting. This poem precedes them at the head of the book and sets out the theme that binds love's meeting to life itself.
Author: Takashina no Takako (Mother of Gidō Sanshi)
Source: Shin Kokin Wakashu
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