Yukukata mo naku sekaretaru yamamizu no iwamahoshiku mo omōyuru kana - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

行く方もなくせかれたる山水の
いはまほしくも思ほゆるかな

Roma-ji: Yukukata mo naku sekaretaru yamamizu no iwamahoshiku mo omōyuru kana
English Translation: Like mountain water
dammed up with nowhere to flow,
pooling in the rocks,
I find myself wishing so
to speak to you at last
Meaning: Like mountain water dammed with nowhere to flow, pooling among the rocks, I find I long to speak my heart to you.
Commentary: Book Nine Love Poems I 590

Headnote: "Sent to a woman for the first time."
The poet says that, like mountain water dammed with nowhere to flow and pooling among the rocks, he longs to speak his heart. Likening the love he has held back to dammed mountain water, he conveys his wish to reveal it for the first time.
According to the headnote, the poem was sent to a woman for the first time.
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, "Yukukata mo," means "with no place to flow."
The second line, "naku sekaretaru," means "dammed up, with nowhere to go."
The third line, "yamamizu no," means "of the mountain water," and the first three lines form a preface leading to "iwama" in the fourth line.
The fourth line, "iwamahoshiku mo," is a pivot joining "iwama," the gaps among rocks where water pools, and "iwamahoshi," wishing to speak.
The last line, "omōyuru kana," means "so I cannot help but feel," the same line that closes 573 in this book.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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