Yoshinogawa yoshiya hito koso tsurakarame hayaku iiteshi koto wa wasureji - Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

吉野川よしや人こそつらからめ
はやく言ひてしことは忘れじ

Roma-ji: Yoshinogawa yoshiya hito koso tsurakarame hayaku iiteshi koto wa wasureji
English Translation: Yoshino River,
let it be, though she may be
cold and cruel to me,
swift as its stream, words we spoke
long ago I'll not forget
Meaning: Like the name of the Yoshino River, let it be: even if she is cruel to me, I will not forget the words we exchanged long ago, swift and sure as the river's current.
Commentary: Book Fifteen Love Poems V 794

Headnote: "Topic unknown."
However cold the beloved may become, the speaker vows never to forget the words they once exchanged. The Yoshino River leads by sound to yoshiya, "let it be," and the speed of its current to hayaku, "long ago" and "swift," layering an unshakable resolve with the rushing stream. Following the Minase River of the preceding poem, river poems continue.
The author, "Mitsune," is Ōshikōchi no Mitsune, a minor official who served in provincial posts such as Provisional Junior Secretary of Kai, Provisional Senior Secretary of Tamba, Provisional Clerk of Izumi, and Provisional Clerk of Awaji, and who compiled the Kokinshū with Ki no Tsurayuki and others. He is one of the Thirty-Six Poetic Immortals.

The first line names the Yoshino River in Yamato, which by repeated sound introduces yoshiya in the second line. As a swift river it also echoes hayaku in the fourth line.
In the second line yoshiya means "even if" or "so be it," and koso is resolved by the perfective in the third line.
In the third line me, the perfective of mu, becomes concessive with koso: though she may be cruel. The poem breaks here.
In the fourth line hayaku is a pivot word, meaning both "long ago" and the swift flow of the river. Teshi expresses completion and past.
In the last line ji expresses negative intent, closing with a firm vow not to forget.
Author: Oshikochi no Mitsune
Source: Kokin Wakashu
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