Kasugano ni ouru wakana o mite shi yori kokoro o tsune ni omoiyaru kana - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

春日野に生ふる若菜を見てしより
心を常に思ひやるかな

Roma-ji: Kasugano ni ouru wakana o mite shi yori kokoro o tsune ni omoiyaru kana
English Translation: On Kasuga's plain
the young greens growing there, since
I first saw them grow,
my heart ever and always
to that place goes wandering
Meaning: Ever since I saw the young greens growing on Kasuga Plain, my heart has gone out to them without cease.
Commentary: Book One Spring Poems I 13

Headnote: "Around the Twelfth Month, he went down to Yamato on some business and grew fond of the daughter of the house where he lodged, but had to return to the capital on a matter of importance; the following spring he sent this to her parents."
Comparing the girl he grew fond of in Yamato to the young greens of Kasuga Plain, the poet tells her parents that even after returning to the capital his thoughts constantly go out to her. He modestly entrusts his feelings for the girl to the fresh image of young greens.
According to the headnote, he went to Yamato on business around the Twelfth Month and became attached to the daughter of his host, but had to return to the capital for important matters. The following spring he sent this poem to her parents.
The poet, called "Mitsune," is Ōshikōchi no Mitsune. One of the compilers of the Kokin Wakashū, he served as a minor official in Kai and Izumi provinces, and is counted among the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets.

The first line, "On Kasuga's plain," names Kasuga Plain in Yamato, the land where the girl lives. Kasuga Plain also appears in this book in 8 and 15.
The second line, "the young greens growing there," refers to the greens of Kasuga Plain, here a figure for the girl.
The third line, "since I first saw," means "ever since," from the moment he first set eyes on her.
The fourth line, "my heart ever and always," shows that his heart is constantly turned toward her.
In the last line, "omoiyaru" means to send one's thoughts to a distant place, and "kana" expresses a sigh.
Author: Oshikochi no Mitsune
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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