Koromode no yamai no mizu ni kage mieshi nao sono kami no haru zo koishiki - Shin Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

衣手のやまゐの水に影見えし
なほそのかみの春ぞ恋しき

Roma-ji: Koromode no yamai no mizu ni kage mieshi nao sono kami no haru zo koishiki
English Translation: Our sleeves, dyed with
mountain indigo, cast
their image in the spring;
how I still long for the spring
of those days gone by.
Meaning: How I still long for that spring of long ago, when our sleeves, printed with mountain indigo, were reflected in the mountain spring.
Commentary: Book Eighteen Miscellaneous Poems III 1797

Headnote: "Sent on the day of the festival to one with whom I had served as a dancer at the Special Festival, after we had both been raised to the fourth rank."
This is the first of an exchange longing for festivals of the past. He still longs for that spring of long ago when their sleeves, printed with mountain indigo, were reflected in the mountain spring. According to the headnote, he sent it on the festival day to a friend with whom he had served as a dancer at the Special Festival, after both had risen to the fourth rank and no longer danced. It recalls the honored duties of their youth.
The author, "Sanekata Ason," is Fujiwara no Sanekata. A son of Fujiwara no Sadatoki, he became Middle Captain of the Left, but later went down as Governor of Mutsu and died at his post.
The Special Festivals were held at the Kamo Shrines and Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine apart from their regular festivals; young courtiers served as dancers and performed the Azuma-asobi dances.

The first line, "koromode no," means "of the sleeves," the sleeves of the dancers' robes.
In the second line, "yamai no mizu ni," "yamai" is a pivot word meaning both the mountain indigo used to print the dancers' robes and a mountain spring.
The third line, "kage mieshi," means "where the reflection was seen." "Shi" is the attributive of the past "ki," recalling their figures as dancers long ago.
The fourth line, "nao sono kami no," means "still, of those days." "Kami" is also read as echoing the god of the festival.
The last line, "haru zo koishiki," closes the kakari-musubi of "zo" with the attributive form of the adjective "koishiki." It ends in longing for the spring of youth when they served as dancers. The next poem too speaks of "the robe of mountain indigo."
Author: Fujiwara no Sanekata
Source: Shin Kokin Wakashu
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