Ama no gawa kayou ukigi ni koto towan momiji no hashi wa chiru ya chirazu ya - Shin Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

天の川通ふ浮木に言問はん
紅葉の橋は散るや散らずや

Roma-ji: Ama no gawa kayou ukigi ni koto towan momiji no hashi wa chiru ya chirazu ya
English Translation: The Heavenly River—
to the drifting log that sails there
let me put a question:
the bridge of crimson leaves,
has it scattered, or not yet?
Meaning: Let me ask the drifting log that travels to the Heavenly River: has the bridge of autumn leaves scattered yet, or not?
Commentary: Book Seventeen Miscellaneous Poems II 1655

Headnote: "Topic unknown."
This is the second poem of the sequence on the Heavenly River. The poet will ask the drifting log that travels to the Heavenly River whether the bridge of autumn leaves has scattered or not. The headnote gives the topic as unknown and records nothing of the circumstances.
The author, "Sanekata Ason," was a son of Fujiwara no Sadatoki. He rose from Middle Captain of the Left Palace Guards to Governor of Mutsu and died in his province.
The Chinese Bowuzhi tells of a man living by the sea who rode a drifting log that came every eighth month and reached the Heavenly River. The bridge of autumn leaves is sung as the bridge by which the Weaver Maid crosses the Heavenly River on the night of Tanabata.

The first line, "ama no gawa," moves from the earthly Heavenly Riverbank of the preceding poem to the Heavenly River in the sky.
The second line, "kayou ukigi ni," means "to the drifting log that travels there," drawing on the tale of a log going between the sea and the Heavenly River.
The third line, "koto towan," means "let me ask." The poem breaks here after the third line with the volitional "n."
The fourth line, "momiji no hashi wa," means "the bridge of autumn leaves," by which the Weaver Maid is said to cross.
The last line, "chiru ya chirazu ya," means "has it scattered or not?" Repeating "ya" to ask, it closes with the conceit of asking the drifting log about heaven. Where the preceding poem lamented the traceless riverbank on earth, here thoughts turn to the river in the sky.
Author: Fujiwara no Sanekata
Source: Shin Kokin Wakashu
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