Ise no umi no chihiro no hama ni hirou tomo ima wa nani chō kai ka arubeki - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

伊勢の海の千尋の浜に拾ふとも
今は何てふかひかあるべき

Roma-ji: Ise no umi no chihiro no hama ni hirou tomo ima wa nani chō kai ka arubeki
English Translation: On the sea of Ise,
on the shore of Chihiro,
though I gather shells,
what worth, what use could there be
in any of it now
Meaning: Even if I were to gather shells on the Chihiro shore of the sea of Ise, what use, what worth, could there be in it now?
Commentary: Book Thirteen Love Poems V 927

Headnote: "Sent to be left the next morning, tied to a branch of sakaki, after the Nishi-Shijo Princess, whom he had loved while she was still a princess, was chosen as Ise Priestess."
The poet says that even if he gathered shells on the Chihiro shore of the sea of Ise, there would be no use in it now. He entrusts to the shells of an Ise beach his despair that the princess he loved has been chosen as Ise Priestess and can no longer be his.
According to the headnote, he had loved the Nishi-Shijo Princess while she was still a princess, and when she was chosen as Ise Priestess, he had this poem tied to a sakaki branch and left there the next morning. The Nishi-Shijo Priestess is thought to be Princess Masako, a daughter of Emperor Daigo. Since the priestess serves the Ise Shrine, the poem draws on the sea of Ise. Since the opening poem, 891, poems on the sea of Ise have recurred throughout this book.
The poet, listed as "Atsutada no Ason," was Fujiwara no Atsutada. The third son of Minister of the Left Fujiwara no Tokihira, he rose to Provisional Middle Counselor. One of the Thirty-Six Poetic Immortals, his "aimite no nochi no kokoro ni kurabureba" is included in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu.

The first line, "Ise no umi no," means "of the sea of Ise," calling to mind the princess going down to Ise as priestess.
The second line, "chihiro no hama ni," means "on the Chihiro shore," a place name suggesting endless depth.
The third line, "hirou tomo," means "even if I gather," with "tomo" a conjunctive particle of concessive supposition.
The fourth line, "ima wa nani chō," means "now, what kind of," with "chō" a contraction of "to iu."
The last line, "kai ka arubeki," means "could there be any use? none," with "kai" joining shells gathered on the beach and "kai," worth. "Ka" is a rhetorical binding particle closed by the attributive "beki."
Author: Fujiwara no Atsutada
Source: Gosen Wakashu
Prev Poem: Sazaranami ma naku tatsumeru ura o koso yo ni asashi tomo mitsutsu wasureme
Next Poem: Wasurene to iishi ni kanau kimi naredo towanu wa tsuraki mono ni zo arikeru