Kagerō ni mishi bakari ni ya hamachidori yukue mo shiranu koi ni madowan - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

かげろふに見しばかりにや浜千鳥
行方も知らぬ恋にまどはん

Roma-ji: Kagerō ni mishi bakari ni ya hamachidori yukue mo shiranu koi ni madowan
English Translation: Is it only because
I saw you as a shimmer of haze
that, like the plovers,
I must wander lost in love,
not knowing where it leads
Meaning: Having seen you only faintly, like a shimmer of heat haze, must I now wander like the plovers of the shore, lost in a love whose course I cannot know?
Commentary: Book Ten Love Poems II 654

Headnote: "Topic unknown."
The poet wonders whether, having seen her only faintly like heat haze, he must wander like the plovers of the shore, lost in a love whose end he cannot see. He expresses bewilderment at having his heart taken so deeply by one he glimpsed only briefly.
635 and 695 in this book also sing of the plovers of the shore.
The poet, called "Hitoshi Ason," is Minamoto no Hitoshi. A great-grandson of Emperor Saga, he served as Consultant. His "asajiu no Ono no shinohara shinoburedo" is included in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu.

The first line, "Kagerō ni," means "faintly, like heat haze."
The second line, "mishi bakari ni ya," means "only from having seen you," with "ya" an interrogative particle.
The third line, "hamachidori," is the plover of the shore, which, flying without a fixed course, leads to "yukue mo shiranu" in the fourth line.
The fourth line, "yukue mo shiranu," means "not knowing where it goes."
The last line, "koi ni madowan," means "must I wander lost in love?" closing with the attributive "n" in answer to "ya" in the second line, a kakarimusubi pattern.
Author: Minamoto no Hitoshi
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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