Kurehatori aya ni koishiku arishikaba futamurayama mo koezu nariniki - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

呉服あやに恋しくありしかば
ふたむら山も越えずなりにき

Roma-ji: Kurehatori aya ni koishiku arishikaba futamurayama mo koezu nariniki
English Translation: Like Kurehatori
figured silk, I longed for you
beyond all measure,
so Futamura Mountain
I never came to cross
Meaning: Like the figured silk of Kurehatori, I longed for you beyond all reason, and so I turned back without ever crossing Futamura Mountain.
Commentary: Book Eleven Love Poems III 712

Headnote: "On his way to the eastern provinces as an official envoy, he told a woman he had only just come to know that the mission was so important he had to go against his wishes. Later, when the decision was revised and he was recalled, the woman heard of it and joyfully sent to ask after him, so he wrapped two lengths of the figured silk called kurehatori, which someone had given him on the road, and sent them with this poem."
The poet says that he longed for her beyond measure, like the figured silk, and so came back without crossing Futamura Mountain. Using the name of a silk weave and a place name with skill, he conveys the depth of his feeling for the woman left in the capital.
According to the headnote, as an envoy bound for the east he had told a woman he had just come to know that he must leave against his will on important business. Later the decision was changed and he was recalled, and she joyfully wrote to him. He then wrapped two lengths of kurehatori silk given to him on the road and sent them with the poem. Futamura Mountain is a famous poetic place in Owari Province. The next poem, 713, is the woman's reply.
The poet, Kiyohara no Morozane, lived in the mid-Heian period, and little is known of his career.

The first line, "Kurehatori," is the name of a figured silk brought from China, used as a pillow word to lead into the like-sounding "aya."
In the second line, "aya ni koishiku," "aya" is a pivot word meaning both "figured silk" and "aya ni," beyond measure.
The third line, "arishikaba," means "since it was so," with "shika" the perfective form of the past auxiliary "ki."
The fourth line, "futamurayama mo," is a pivot word joining Futamura Mountain, a poetic place in Owari, with "futamura," the two lengths of silk he sent. The fourth line of the next poem, 713, is also "futamurayama no," answering with the same word.
The last line, "koezu nariniki," means "I ended up not crossing," with "niki" expressing completion and the past.
Author: Kiyohara no Morozane
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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