Toshi o hete nigori dani senu sabie ni wa tama mo kaerite ima zo sumubeki - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

年を経て濁りだにせぬさびえには
玉も帰りて今ぞすむべき

Roma-ji: Toshi o hete nigori dani senu sabie ni wa tama mo kaerite ima zo sumubeki
English Translation: Through the passing years
never once has it grown muddy—
at Sabie Inlet
the pearls, returning, surely
now will dwell in waters clear
Meaning: At Sabie Inlet, which has never grown muddy through all the years, the pearls will surely return and now dwell there in clear waters.
Commentary: Book Fifteen Miscellaneous Poems I 1105

Headnote: "When Lord Tadafusa was governor of Tsu, he had a folding screen made for the reception of the new governor, Harukata, with the famous places of that province painted on it; written for the place called Sabie."
The poet says that at Sabie, which has never grown muddy over the years, the pearls will surely return and now dwell in its clear water. Drawing on the Chinese tale of pearls that came back when a wise governor took office, he blesses in advance the good rule of the new governor.
According to the headnote, when Fujiwara no Tadafusa was governor of Settsu, he had a folding screen made to welcome the new governor, Harukata, with the famous places of the province painted on it, and this was written for the picture of Sabie. It draws on the tale of the pearls of Hepu: when Meng Chang of the Later Han became governor there, the pearls that had left returned.
The poet, "Tadamine," is Mibu no Tadamine. One of the compilers of the Kokinshu, he is counted among the Thirty-Six Poetic Immortals, and the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu includes his poem "Ariake no tsurenaku mieshi wakare yori."

The first line, "Toshi o hete," means "through the passing years." The first line of 1121 in this book opens with the same "toshi o hete."
The second line, "nigori dani senu," means "never even growing muddy," with "dani" naming a small thing to imply more. Pure government is likened to clear water.
The third line, "sabie ni wa," means "at Sabie," a place name in Settsu.
The fourth line, "tama mo kaerite," means "the pearls, too, returning," drawing on the tale of the pearls that came back.
The last line, "ima zo sumubeki," means "now surely it will be clear," with "sumu" joining the water's being clear and the pearls' dwelling. "Zo" is an emphatic binding particle closed by the attributive "beki."
Author: Mibu no Tadamine
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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