Chigiri arite kyō Miyagawa no yūkazura nagaki yo made mo kakete tanoman - Shin Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

契りありて今日宮川の木綿鬘
長き世までもかけて頼まん

Roma-ji: Chigiri arite kyō Miyagawa no yūkazura nagaki yo made mo kakete tanoman
English Translation: By a bond of fate,
today at the Miya River,
a garland of bark—
even to the long ages
I will wear my trust in you.
Meaning: Bound by a fate from former lives, I come today to the Miya River; like the bark-cloth garland I put on, I will hold you in my heart and trust in you through ages long to come.
Commentary: Book Nineteen Poems on the Gods 1872

Headnote: "Composed at the Outer Shrine on the same occasion."
This is the second poem in the sequence concerning the Great Shrine of Ise. Bound by fate, the poet comes today to the Miya River and resolves, as he puts on a bark-cloth garland, to hold the god in his heart and trust in him through the long ages. According to the headnote, it was composed at the Outer Shrine on the same occasion as the preceding poem. Taking up the vow from the age of the gods in the preceding poem, it speaks of a lasting trust in the god born of the poet's own bond of fate.
The author, "Fujiwara no Sadaie Ason," is Teika, son of Fujiwara no Shunzei. He was one of the compilers of the Shin Kokinshū and later compiled the Shin Chokusenshū alone.
The Miya River flows near the Outer Shrine of Ise, and pilgrims crossed it to enter the sacred precinct.

The first line, "chigiri arite," means "bound by a fate from former lives." It runs to six syllables, one beyond the norm, and takes up "chigirishi koto" in the preceding poem.
The second line, "kyō Miyagawa no," means "at the Miya River where I come today," naming the river near the Outer Shrine.
The third line, "yūkazura," is a garland of bark-cloth worn on the head by those serving in sacred rites.
The fourth line, "nagaki yo made mo," means "even to the long ages to come." The length of the garland leads to "nagaki," "long."
In the last line, "kakete tanoman," "kakete" is a pivot word joining "putting on" the garland and "holding" in the heart. It closes with the volitional "n." It resembles "kakete kokoro o" in poem 1870 of this book, both overlaying the donning of sacred attire with the setting of the heart.
Author: Fujiwara no Teika
Source: Shin Kokin Wakashu
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