Kiyotaki no seze no shiraito kuritamete yamawakegoromo orite kimashi o - Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

清滝の瀬々の白糸繰りためて
山分け衣織りて着ましを

Roma-ji: Kiyotaki no seze no shiraito kuritamete yamawakegoromo orite kimashi o
English Translation: At Kiyotaki
the white threads of the rapids—
were I to reel them,
I would weave a mountain robe
and wear it as I climbed.
Meaning: If I could reel in the white threads of the rapids at Kiyotaki, I would weave a robe for pushing through the mountains and wear it.
Commentary: Book Seventeen Miscellaneous Poems I 925

Headnote: "Topic unknown"
The water flowing white over each rapid of the Kiyotaki River is likened to white thread, and the poet wishes to reel it in and weave a robe for entering the mountains in ascetic practice. The idea of making a robe from the pure stream holds a monk's longing for purity.
The author, "Jintai Hōshi," is a monk whose life is little known.

First line "kiyotaki no" is the Kiyotaki River in Yamashiro; the character for "clear" impresses the purity of the water.
Second line "seze no shiraito" likens water flowing white over each rapid to white thread.
Third line "kuritamete" means reeling the thread and winding it up.
Fourth line "yamawakegoromo" is a robe worn for pushing into the mountains, suggesting a robe of religious practice.
Fifth line "orite kimashi o" joins the counterfactual mashi and o: I would weave and wear it, if only I could. "Reel," "weave," and "wear" are associated words of "thread." Where the preceding poem, 924, likened the falls to cloth, this poem likens the stream to thread and weaves a robe.
Author: Priest Jintai
Source: Kokin Wakashu
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