Hisashiku mo koiwataru kana Suminoe no kishi ni toshi furu matsu naranaku ni - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

久しくも恋ひわたるかな住の江の
岸に年経る松ならなくに

Roma-ji: Hisashiku mo koiwataru kana Suminoe no kishi ni toshi furu matsu naranaku ni
English Translation: How long it has been
that I have gone on loving—
though I am not a pine
that has aged for years upon
the shore of Suminoe
Meaning: How long I have gone on loving you—though I am no pine grown old over the years on the shore of Suminoe.
Commentary: Book Ten Love Poems II 672

Headnote: "To a woman he had been courting for years."
The poet says he has loved her so long, though he is no pine that has aged on the shore of Suminoe. Citing the pines of Suminoe, a symbol of long life, he laments how long he has gone on loving.
According to the headnote, it was sent to a woman he had been courting for years. 638 and 653 in this book also sing of Suminoe.
The poet, Minamoto no Suguru, lived in the mid Heian period, and few details of his life have come down to us.

The first line, "Hisashiku mo," means "for so long."
The second line, "koiwataru kana," means "how I go on loving," with "kana" an exclamatory particle. The poem pauses here.
The third line, "Suminoe no," means "of Suminoe," a poetic place in Settsu.
The fourth line, "kishi ni toshi furu," means "aging over the years on the shore."
The last line, "matsu naranaku ni," means "though I am not a pine," inverted with the first two lines.
Author: Minamoto no Suguru
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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