Momoshiki wa ono no e kutasu yama nare ya irinishi hito no otozure mo senu - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

ももしきは斧の柄朽たす山なれや
入りにし人のおとづれもせぬ

Roma-ji: Momoshiki wa ono no e kutasu yama nare ya irinishi hito no otozure mo senu
English Translation: Is the palace then
a mountain where the axe's haft
rots away to dust?
The one who went inside
sends me not a word
Meaning: Is the palace a mountain of the immortals, where time passes until an axe handle rots? The one who went in has never sent me word.
Commentary: Book Eleven Love Poems III 717

Headnote: "From a woman to a man who had gone to the palace and long sent no word."
The poet asks whether the palace is the mountain where an axe handle rots, since the man who went in has sent no word. She reproaches the man who has gone to court and fallen silent, likening him to one who entered the land of immortals and forgot time.
According to the headnote, a woman sent this to a man who had gone to the palace and long sent no news. The image of a rotting axe handle comes from a Chinese tale of a woodcutter who watched immortals play go in the mountains, only to find so many years had passed that his axe handle had rotted away.
The poet is listed as "anonymous," and the composer's name has not come down to us. According to the headnote, it is the woman's poem.

The first line, "Momoshiki wa," means "the palace."
The second line, "ono no e kutasu," means "that rots an axe handle," drawing on the Chinese tale.
The third line, "yama nare ya," means "is it a mountain," with "ya" expressing a question. The poem pauses here.
The fourth line, "irinishi hito no," means "of the one who went in," "iru" layering entering the mountains with entering the palace.
The last line, "otozure mo senu," means "sends no word," ending in the attributive form.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
Prev Poem: Morotomo ni oru tomo nashi ni uchitokete mienikeru kana asagao no hana
Next Poem: Suzukayama iseo no ama no sutegoromo shionaretari to hito ya miruran