Ōkata wa se to dani kakeji amanogawa fukaki kokoro o fuchi to tanomamu - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

おほかたは瀬とだにかけじ天の川
深き心を淵と頼まむ

Roma-ji: Ōkata wa se to dani kakeji amanogawa fukaki kokoro o fuchi to tanomamu
English Translation: Not even shallows
will I ever speak of now,
River of Heaven—
your heart, so deep, I will trust
as one trusts a deep pool
Meaning: I will not even speak of shallows, O River of Heaven. Rather, I will put my trust in your deep heart, as in a deep pool.
Commentary: Book Thirteen Love Poems V 957

Headnote: "Topic unknown."
The poet says he will not even speak of shallows to the River of Heaven, but will trust the beloved's deep heart as a deep pool. Not dwelling on the shallows of the River of Heaven, which the Tanabata stars cross only once a year, he wishes to rely on her deep heart as on a deep pool.
The next poem, 958, is a reply, taking up the words shallows, pool and River of Heaven to form an exchange. Pools and shallows are also shared with the river of tears in 946 and 947 in this book, so river poems continue from the river of tears to the River of Heaven.
The poet, Ono no Michikaze, was a grandson of Ono no Takamura and a son of Ono no Kuzune. Famed as a calligrapher, he is counted with Fujiwara no Sukemasa and Fujiwara no Yukinari as one of the Three Brush Traces.

The first line, "Ōkata wa," means "for the most part."
The second line, "se to dani kakeji," means "I will not even speak of shallows," with "kake" meaning to put into words and "ji" a negative auxiliary of intention. The shallows stand for a shallow heart.
The third line, "amanogawa," means "O River of Heaven," drawing on the yearly meeting of the Tanabata stars. The poem pauses here.
The fourth line, "fukaki kokoro o," means "your deep heart."
The last line, "fuchi to tanomamu," means "I will trust as a deep pool," with "mu" expressing intention. It pairs with "se" in the second line.
Author: Ono no Michikaze
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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