Tsune yori mo kyō no keburi no tayori ni ya nishi o haruka ni omoiyaruran - Shin Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

常よりも今日の煙のたよりにや
西をはるかに思ひやるらん

Roma-ji: Tsune yori mo kyō no keburi no tayori ni ya nishi o haruka ni omoiyaruran
English Translation: More than is your wont,
by the smoke of this day's rites
as your guide, I wonder,
are you sending thoughts afar
toward the distant west?
Meaning: More than on other days, are you sending your thoughts far to the west, taking today's smoke as your guide?
Commentary: Book Twenty Buddhist Poems 1973

Headnote: "Sent to Ise no Taifu at dusk on the fifteenth day of the second month."
This is the first poem in the closing sequence of exchanges and moon poems turned toward the western paradise. The poet asks Ise no Taifu whether, more than usual, she is sending her thoughts far to the west, taking today's smoke as her means. According to the headnote, it was sent to Ise no Taifu at dusk on the fifteenth day of the second month.
On the day of the Buddha's passing, recalling the smoke of his cremation, it expresses a wish to share with a friend a heart turned toward the west, the realm of the Buddha.
The author, "Sagami," was a lady-in-waiting and poet of the mid-Heian period, called Sagami because she had been the wife of Ōe no Kinsuke, governor of Sagami.
The fifteenth day of the second month is held to be the day of the Buddha's passing, and Nirvana services are held at temples. "Today's smoke" recalls the smoke of the Buddha's cremation.
The recipient, Ise no Taifu, was a daughter of Ōnakatomi no Sukechika and a lady-in-waiting and poet who served Jōtōmon-in Shōshi. The next poem, 1974, is her reply.

The first line, "tsune yori mo," means "more than usual," marking a special day.
The second line, "kyō no keburi no," is the smoke of the day of the Buddha's passing, recalling the smoke of cremation or the incense of the Nirvana service.
The third line, "tayori ni ya," means "as a means," with a question in the particle "ya."
The fourth line, "nishi o haruka ni," points to the Western Pure Land, and also to India in the west where the Buddha passed away, showing a great distance.
The last line, "omoiyaruran," closes the kakari-musubi of "ya" with the attributive "ran," surmising the other's feelings. The reply takes up the words "west" and "today."
Author: Sagami
Source: Shin Kokin Wakashu
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