Tsukubane no ko no moto goto ni tachi zo yoru haru no miyama no kage o koitsutsu - Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

筑波嶺の木のもとごとに立ちぞ寄る
春のみ山の蔭を恋ひつつ

Roma-ji: Tsukubane no ko no moto goto ni tachi zo yoru haru no miyama no kage o koitsutsu
English Translation: On Tsukuba's peak
beneath each and every tree
I stop to take shelter,
while I long for the shade
of the spring palace mountain.
Meaning: On Mount Tsukuba I stop beneath one tree after another for shelter, all the while longing for the shade of the spring mountain, the kindness of the Crown Prince's palace.
Commentary: Book Eighteen Miscellaneous Poems II 966

Headnote: "Composed when I had been dismissed from my post as a guard of the Crown Prince's palace for neglecting my service"
The author, who had served as a guard of the Crown Prince's palace, composed this when he was dismissed for neglecting his duties. Though he now stops beneath one tree after another, relying on various people, he still longs for the favor of his former master.
"Spring mountain" echoes "spring palace," a name for the Crown Prince, and his master's protection is likened to the shade of trees.
The author, "Miyaji no Kiyoki" as written in kana, is Miyaji no Kiyoki, an official of the early Heian period whose career is not known in detail.

The first line, "on Tsukuba's peak," refers to Mount Tsukuba in Hitachi. Likening the shade of Mount Tsukuba's trees to a lord's favor is also seen in the eastern song 1095 in Book Twenty.
The second line, "beneath each and every tree," suggests relying on the protection of one person after another.
The third line, "I stop to take shelter," uses zo with the attributive yoru; the poem breaks here, in inverted order with the lower verse.
The fourth line, "the spring palace mountain," contains a pivot word: the mi of miyama, "deep mountain," also suggests miya, "palace," so that "spring mountain" becomes "spring palace," the Crown Prince.
The last line, "while I long for the shade," means longing for the shelter, that is, the favor, of his former master.
Author: Miyaji no Kiyoki
Source: Kokin Wakashu
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