Kokoromi ni nao oritatamu namidagawa ureshiki se ni mo nagare au ya to - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

試みになほ下り立たむ涙川
うれしき瀬にも流れあふやと

Roma-ji: Kokoromi ni nao oritatamu namidagawa ureshiki se ni mo nagare au ya to
English Translation: Just to see, I'll wade
into it all the same,
this River of Tears—
perhaps its flow will bring me
to shallows full of joy
Meaning: Just to try, I will wade into this River of Tears all the same—who knows, its current may carry me to some joyful shallows where we meet.
Commentary: Book Ten Love Poems II 612

Headnote: "Again."
The poet says he will wade into the River of Tears all the same, in case its current brings him to joyful shallows. Undeterred by being parried, he throws himself into love in hope of a day when they might meet.
It is the first poet's answer to the reply in the preceding poem, 611, and the third poem in the exchange on the River of Tears that began with 610.
The poet, called "Toshinaka," is Tachibana no Toshinaka. He lived in the mid Heian period, and few details of his life have come down to us.

The first line, "Kokoromi ni," means "just to try."
The second line, "nao oritatamu," means "I will wade in all the same," with "mu" expressing intention. It answers "ori ya tatsu beki" in the fourth line of the preceding poem.
The third line, "namidagawa," likens flowing tears to a river and is the word shared by all three poems of the exchange. The poem pauses here.
The fourth line, "ureshiki se ni mo," means "even to joyful shallows," with "se" carrying a hint of a chance to meet.
The last line, "nagare au ya to," means "hoping the current will bring us together," inverted with the first three lines.
Author: Tachibana no Toshinaka
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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