Kagaribi ni aranu omoi no ika nareba namida no kawa ni ukite moyuran - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

篝火にあらぬおもひのいかなれば
涙の川に浮きて燃ゆらん

Roma-ji: Kagaribi ni aranu omoi no ika nareba namida no kawa ni ukite moyuran
English Translation: It is no fishing fire,
this flame of my longing—
why then should it be
that it floats upon a river
of tears and still burns on
Meaning: My longing is no torch fire on a boat—why, then, does its flame float upon a river of tears and go on burning?
Commentary: Book Twelve Love Poems IV 869

Headnote: "Sent to a woman."
The poet asks why the fire of his longing, which is no torch fire, floats and burns upon a river of tears. Likening it to the torch fires of cormorant fishing that burn above the water, he sings of a flame of love that does not die even in tears.
According to the headnote, the poem was sent to a woman. 888 and 889 in this book also sing of a "river of tears."
The poet is listed as anonymous, and the composer's name has not come down to us.

The first line, "Kagaribi ni," means "a torch fire," referring to fires lit on the river for cormorant fishing and the like.
The second line, "aranu omoi no," means "the fire of a longing that is not," with the "hi" of "omoi" also meaning "fire."
The third line, "ika nareba," means "for what reason."
The fourth line, "namida no kawa ni," means "on the river formed by flowing tears." 888 and 889 in this book also sing of "namidagawa."
The last line, "ukite moyuran," means "does it float and burn," with "ran" conjecturing a cause, corresponding to "ika nareba" in the third line. "Moyu," to burn, is associated with "fire."
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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