Fuyu no ike no kamo no uwage ni oku shimo no kiete mono omou koro ni mo aru kana - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

冬の池の鴨の上毛に置く霜の
消えてもの思ふころにもあるかな

Roma-ji: Fuyu no ike no kamo no uwage ni oku shimo no kiete mono omou koro ni mo aru kana
English Translation: On the winter pond,
upon the feathers of the ducks
the frost that settles—
melting so, I lose myself
these days in brooding thoughts
Meaning: Like the frost that settles on the outer feathers of the ducks on a winter pond and melts away, these are days when I brood until I almost vanish.
Commentary: Book Eight Winter Poems 460

Headnote: "Topic unknown."
The poet says that like the frost on the outer feathers of the ducks on a winter pond, which melts away, these are days of brooding until one almost vanishes. With a winter pond scene as preface, the poem expresses a heart sunk in the brooding of love.
The first three lines are a preface leading to "kiete," melting, so that the things of winter express the thoughts of love. 483 and 490 in this book also sing of ducks on a pond or canal, and ducks appear again and again as an emblem of winter.
The poet is listed as "anonymous," and the composer's name has not come down to us. The text gives the poet as "yomibito mo," which is treated here as "anonymous."

The first line, "Fuyu no ike no," has an extra syllable and means "of the winter pond." 490 and 502 in this book also open with "fuyu no ike."
The second line, "kamo no uwage ni," means "on the outer feathers of the ducks."
The third line, "oku shimo no," means "like the frost that settles there and melts," and the first three lines form a preface leading to "kiete" in the fourth line.
The fourth line, "kiete mono omou," means "brooding until I almost vanish," overlaying the frost "melting away" with one's being consumed by love.
The last line, "koro ni mo aru kana," has an extra syllable, with "kana" an exclamatory particle: "such are these days."
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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