Naniwa naru Nagara no hashi mo tsukuru nari ima wa waga mi o nani ni tatoemu - Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

難波なる長柄の橋もつくるなり
今はわが身を何にたとへむ

Roma-ji: Naniwa naru Nagara no hashi mo tsukuru nari ima wa waga mi o nani ni tatoemu
English Translation: Even Nagara's
bridge that stands in Naniwa
is being built anew—
what now shall I compare
this aging self of mine to?
Meaning: They say even the ancient Nagara Bridge in Naniwa is being rebuilt, or has crumbled away. What, then, shall I liken my aging self to now?
Commentary: Book Nineteen Miscellaneous Forms 1051

Headnote: "Topic unknown"
The Nagara Bridge had long been sung as the very emblem of old age. Hearing that even this bridge is being rebuilt, or has decayed away, the poet laments that nothing remains to which her aged self can be compared. The wit of losing the proverbial symbol of age gives the poem its haikai quality.
The author is Ise. The daughter of Fujiwara no Tsugukage, governor of Ise, she served Empress Onshi, consort of Emperor Uda, and won the emperor's favor. The mother of Nakatsukasa, she is one of the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets.

First line, "Naniwa naru," means located in Naniwa in Settsu Province.
Second line, "Nagara no hashi mo," names the bridge over the Yodo River, a standard symbol of age. The long poem 1003 in this book also says "Nagara no hashi no nagaraete," using it as a figure for old age.
Third line, "tsukuru nari," is a pivot word joining "tsukuru," to build anew, and "tsukuru," to crumble away. "Nari" marks hearsay, and the poem breaks here.
Fourth line, "ima wa waga mi o," means now, my own self.
Fifth line, "nani ni tatoemu," uses conjectural "mu": to what shall I compare it?
Author: Ise
Source: Kokin Wakashu
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