Itsu made no hakanaki hito no koto no ha ka kokoro no aki no kaze o matsuramu - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

いつまでのはかなき人の言の葉か
心のあきの風を待つらむ

Roma-ji: Itsu made no hakanaki hito no koto no ha ka kokoro no aki no kaze o matsuramu
English Translation: How long will they last,
the words of so frail a man,
these leaves of his speech—
waiting, as for autumn's wind,
for weariness in his heart
Meaning: How long will they last, the words of so unreliable a man? Like leaves that wait for the autumn wind, they must be waiting for the wind of weariness to blow through his heart.
Commentary: Book Thirteen Love Poems V 897

Headnote: "Sent when she came to know a fickle man, and though he seemed to care for her, she still could not help doubting him."
The poet asks how long the words of so unreliable a man can last, and supposes they are waiting for a wind of weariness to blow through his heart. Likening his words of love to leaves, she suspects that like leaves scattered by the autumn wind, they only await the hour when his heart will change.
According to the headnote, she had come to know a fickle man, and though he seemed to love her she still doubted him. From this poem the book turns to autumn imagery, and poems through 902 speak of autumn nights and autumn grasses.
The poet is listed as anonymous, and the composer's name has not come down to us.

The first line, "Itsu made no," means "lasting until when."
The second line, "hakanaki hito no," means "of an unreliable man," the fickle man of the headnote.
The third line, "koto no ha ka," means "are they words," with "ha," leaf, in "koto no ha" related to "aki" and "kaze" below. The poem pauses here.
The fourth line, "kokoro no aki no," means "of the autumn of the heart," with "aki" joining autumn and "aki," weariness that draws the heart away.
The last line, "kaze o matsuramu," means "they must be waiting for the wind," with "ramu" a conjecture about the present. It implies that his words will scatter as leaves do in the autumn wind.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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