Momoshiki no uchi nomi tsune ni koishikute kumo no yae tatsu yama wa sumiushi - Shin Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

ももしきの内のみ常に恋しくて
雲の八重立つ山はすみうし

Roma-ji: Momoshiki no uchi nomi tsune ni koishikute kumo no yae tatsu yama wa sumiushi
English Translation: Within the palace
is all I ever long for,
and at all times so;
these hills where clouds rise eightfold
are a dreary place to dwell.
Meaning: I long always for nothing but the palace, and these mountains, where the clouds rise in eightfold layers, are a sorrowful place to live.
Commentary: Book Eighteen Miscellaneous Poems III 1719

Headnote: "Reply."
This is the second of an exchange between one who had taken vows and one who remained in the capital, a reply to the preceding poem. He answers that he longs always for the palace alone, and that the mountains beyond layer upon layer of cloud are hard to live in. Asked whether life is pleasant, he frankly admits that even after taking vows he still yearns for the court, answering the emperor's kindness.
The author, "Nyokaku," is Fujiwara no Takamitsu. A son of Fujiwara no Morosuke, he was Lesser Captain of the Right but took vows at Yokawa on Mount Hiei under the name Nyokaku, later moving to Tōnomine. He is counted among the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets.

The first line, "momoshiki no," is a pillow word for the palace, and here means the palace itself.
The second line, "uchi nomi tsune ni," means "the palace alone, always." "Nomi" limits it to the palace and nothing else.
The third line, "koishikute," means "longing for it," giving the reason for the lower verse.
The fourth line, "kumo no yae tatsu," takes over the second line of the preceding poem unchanged. The phrase the emperor used for distance is turned into the reason mountain life is hard.
In the last line, "yama wa sumiushi," "sumi" takes up "sumiyokaru" from the preceding poem, a pivot word meaning both "clear" and "dwelling." To the question "is it good to live there?" he answers "it is sorrowful to live here," reversing the words of the poem he received.
Author: Fujiwara no Takamitsu
Source: Shin Kokin Wakashu
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