Ana koishi yukite ya mimashi tsu no kuni no ima mo ari chō ura no hatsushima - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

あな恋し行きてや見まし津の国の
今もありてふ浦の初島

Roma-ji: Ana koishi yukite ya mimashi tsu no kuni no ima mo ari chō ura no hatsushima
English Translation: Ah, how I long!
Shall I go and see it,
in the land of Tsu,
that, they say, is there still—
Hatsushima of the bay
Meaning: Ah, how I long! Should I go and see it—Hatsushima in the bay, which they say is still there in the land of Tsu?
Commentary: Book Eleven Love Poems III 742

Headnote: "Topic unknown."
The poet cries out in longing and wonders whether to go and see Hatsushima in the bay, said to be still there in the land of Tsu. Through Ura no Hatsushima, a poetic place in Settsu, he expresses his wish to go and visit the one he loves.
The poet, Priest Kaisen, was a monk of the mid-Heian period, and little is known of his life.

The first line, "Ana koishi," means "ah, how I long," with "ana" an interjection. The poem pauses here.
The second line, "yukite ya mimashi," means "shall I go and see," with "ya" an interrogative particle and "mashi" expressing hesitant intention. The poem pauses here.
The third line, "tsu no kuni no," means "in the province of Settsu."
The fourth line, "ima mo ari chō," means "that is said to be there still," with "chō" a contraction of "to iu."
The last line, "ura no hatsushima," is a poetic place in Settsu whose "hatsu," first, suggests the one first loved. It ends on a noun, in inverted order with the second line.
Author: Priest Kaisen
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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