Uguisu ni mi o aikaeba chiru made mo waga mono ni shite hana wa mitemashi - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

鴬に身をあひかへば散るまでも
我が物にして花は見てまし

Roma-ji: Uguisu ni mi o aikaeba chiru made mo waga mono ni shite hana wa mitemashi
English Translation: If I could exchange
myself for the warbler, then
until they all fell
I would hold them as my own
and gaze upon the flowers
Meaning: If only I could trade places with the warbler, I would gaze on the blossoms as my very own until the moment they fell.
Commentary: Book Three Spring Poems III 101

Headnote: "Topic unknown."
If she could exchange herself for the warbler that perches among the blossoms, the poet says, she could gaze on the flowers as her own until they fall. Envying the warbler that never leaves the flowers, she shows an attachment so strong she would keep them all to herself.
The poet, Ise, was a daughter of Fujiwara no Tsugukage, governor of Ise, and served Empress Onshi, consort of Emperor Uda. She received Emperor Uda's favor and later bore Nakatsukasa to Prince Atsuyoshi. She is counted among the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets.

The first line, "Uguisu ni," names the warbler that perches and sings among the blossoms. The opening poem, 81, also begins with the warbler.
In the second line, "aikau" means to exchange with each other, and "ba" sets a condition answered by "mashi" in the last line.
The third line, "chiru made mo," means "until they fall."
The fourth line, "waga mono ni shite," means "as my own," expressing the wish to have the flowers to herself.
In the last line, "mashi" is counterfactual: "I would gaze on them," voicing a wish that cannot be fulfilled.
Author: Ise
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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