Taetarishi mukashi dani mishi uchihashi o ima wa wataru to oto ni nomi kiku - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

絶えたりし昔だに見し打橋を
今はわたると音にのみ聞く

Roma-ji: Taetarishi mukashi dani mishi uchihashi o ima wa wataru to oto ni nomi kiku
English Translation: Even in old days
when it lay broken, I saw you
by that plank bridge,
yet now that you cross it
I only hear the sound
Meaning: Even in the old days, when the bridge lay broken between us, I saw you by that plank bridge; now I only hear the sound of you crossing it and passing by.
Commentary: Book Fourteen Love Poems VI 1005

Headnote: "Composed when a man who had always called on her while they were strangers would pass by her gate without stopping once they had become lovers."
The poet says that even in the old days, before they were bound together, she saw him by the plank bridge, yet now she only hears the sound of his crossing. He visited more often when they were strangers, and now that they are intimate he passes her gate; she reproaches his coldness through the sound of footsteps on the plank bridge.
According to the headnote, the man had always called on her before they became lovers, but afterwards he passed her gate without stopping. Where the preceding exchange lamented years of silence, this poem shows another kind of break, a lover who passes close by and yet does not call.
The poet is listed as anonymous, and the composer's name has not come down to us.

The first line, "Taetarishi," means "when it lay broken," overlaying a bridge not yet laid with the time before their bond was made.
The second line, "mukashi dani mishi," means "even then I saw you," with "dani" an adverbial particle that names a lesser case to imply a greater.
The third line, "uchihashi o," means "the plank bridge," a makeshift bridge of boards laid across.
The fourth line, "ima wa wataru to," means "that now you cross it," speaking of his passing by her gate.
The last line, "oto ni nomi kiku," means "I only hear the sound," saying that she never sees him but only hears his footsteps going by.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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