Omoi dani shirushi nashi chō waga mi ni zo awanu nageki no kazu wa moekeru - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

おもひだにしるしなしてふ我が身にぞ
逢はぬなげきの数はもえける

Roma-ji: Omoi dani shirushi nashi chō waga mi ni zo awanu nageki no kazu wa moekeru
English Translation: "Even love's fire
brings no reward," you say—
but it is in me
that the firewood of grief
at not meeting blazes most
Meaning: You say even your fire of love has borne no fruit—but it is in me that countless logs of grief at not meeting you are burning.
Commentary: Book Nine Love Poems I 518

Headnote: "Reply."
The poet answers that, whereas he says even his fire of love has borne no fruit, it is in her own body that countless logs of grief at not meeting are burning. Taking up the "hi," fire, of "omoi" in the preceding poem, she pivots grief on "nageki," logs thrown on a fire, and retorts that her suffering is the greater.
It is a reply to the preceding poem. It answers "omoi" and "shirushi nakereba" in the preceding poem with "omoi dani shirushi nashi."
The poet is listed as "anonymous," and the composer's name has not come down to us.

In the first line, "omoi" is a pivot word meaning both "love" and "fire," taking up the fourth line of the preceding poem. "Dani" means "even."
The second line, "shirushi nashi chō," means "which you say bears no fruit," taking up "shirushi nakereba" in the last line of the preceding poem.
The third line, "waga mi ni zo," means "it is in me," with "zo" an emphatic particle.
In the fourth line, "nageki" is a pivot word meaning both "grief" and "nageki," logs thrown on a fire.
The last line, "kazu wa moekeru," means "countless are burning," closing with the attributive "keru" in answer to "zo" in the third line. "Moe," to burn, is an associated word with "fire" and "logs."
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
Prev Poem: Kiehatete yaminu bakari ka toshi o hete kimi o omoi no shirushi nakereba
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