Ōkata no aki no nezame no nagaki yo mo kimi o zo inoru mi o omou tote - Shin Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

おほかたの秋の寝覚めの長き夜も
君をぞ祈る身を思ふとて

Roma-ji: Ōkata no aki no nezame no nagaki yo mo kimi o zo inoru mi o omou tote
English Translation: Even through the long
nights of wakefulness in autumn,
sad for everyone,
it is for my lord I pray,
for it is my own life I weigh.
Meaning: Even through the long autumn nights when all lie wakeful, I pray for my lord, precisely because I think of my own life.
Commentary: Book Eighteen Miscellaneous Poems III 1760

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "On the feeling of personal grievance, at the Poetry Office."
This is the fourth of the sequence composed at the Poetry Office on personal grievance and the first of three by Fujiwara no Ietaka. Even through long wakeful autumn nights, when everyone is given to brooding, he prays for his lord's reign precisely because he thinks of himself. Holding that his own future depends on his lord's reign, he declares his loyalty to Retired Emperor Go-Toba.
The author, "Ietaka Ason," is Fujiwara no Ietaka. A son of Fujiwara no Mitsutaka, he was one of the compilers of the Shin Kokinshū. He rose to Minister of the Imperial Household and was ranked alongside Fujiwara no Teika.
The Poetry Office was established by Retired Emperor Go-Toba at his palace in Kennin 1 for the compilation of the Shin Kokinshū.

The first line, "ōkata no," means "common to all," showing that autumn is a season of brooding for everyone.
The second line, "aki no nezame no," is waking from sleep on an autumn night and falling into thought.
The third line, "nagaki yo mo," means "even through the long night." "Mo" carries the sense "even on such nights."
The fourth line, "kimi o zo inoru," means "I pray for the prosperity of my lord's reign." Like Teika's "kimi ga yo ni" in the preceding poem, it speaks of devotion to Retired Emperor Go-Toba.
The last line, "mi o omou tote," means "precisely because I think of myself." Inversion gives the reason for the prayer, saying that the flourishing of his lord's reign is itself his own support.
Author: Fujiwara no Ietaka
Source: Shin Kokin Wakashu
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