Chihayaburu kami ni mo nani ni tatouran onore kumoi ni hito o nashitsutsu - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

千早振神にも何にたとふらん
おのれ雲居に人をなしつつ

Roma-ji: Chihayaburu kami ni mo nani ni tatouran onore kumoi ni hito o nashitsutsu
English Translation: Why liken it so
to the gods, or to anything,
mighty and swift—
when it is you yourself who
set me up beyond the clouds
Meaning: Why compare it to the gods or to anything else, when it is you yourself who keep placing me far off beyond the clouds?
Commentary: Book Fourteen Love Poems VI 1026

Headnote: "Reply."
The reply asks why she should liken things to gods or anything else, when she herself has set him above the clouds. Taking up "gods" and "clouds" from the preceding poem, he retorts that it was she who disliked him and pushed him away, so it is strange for her to lament it.
According to the headnote, it is the man's reply to the preceding poem, 1025. Where she sang as though their bond were drifting apart of itself, he points out that she is the one who set the distance, turning the roles of the one who distances and the one distanced.
The poet is listed as anonymous, and the composer's name has not come down to us.

The first line, "Chihayaburu," is a pillow word for "kami," taking up the first line of the preceding poem.
The second line, "kami ni mo nani ni," means "to gods or to anything," taking up "kami ni mo aranu" in the second line of the preceding poem.
The third line, "tatouran," means "why would you liken it," with "ran" an auxiliary of present conjecture, carrying the reproach that there is no reason for the comparison. The poem pauses here.
The fourth line, "onore kumoi ni," means "you yourself, to the clouds," taking up "kumoi haruka ni" in the fourth line of the preceding poem.
The last line, "hito o nashitsutsu," means "while making me a distant one," with "tsutsu" carrying an adversative sense. It turns back to the third line by inversion.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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