Haru goto ni yukite nomi mimu toshikiri mo sezu to iu tane wa oinu to ka kiku - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

春ごとに行きてのみ見む年切りも
せずといふ種は生ひぬとか聞く

Roma-ji: Haru goto ni yukite nomi mimu toshikiri mo sezu to iu tane wa oinu to ka kiku
English Translation: Every spring I'll go
and do nothing else but look,
for the seed, they say,
that never fails a year
has sprouted, so I hear
Meaning: Each spring I will go simply to look, for I hear that the seed said never to skip a year has already sprouted.
Commentary: Book Fifteen Miscellaneous Poems I 1110

Headnote: "Sent on hearing that the consort had married the Minister of the Left."
The poet says she will go each spring simply to look, for she hears that the seed said never to skip a year has already sprouted. Taking up "the seed that never skips a year" of the preceding poem, she celebrates the consort's marriage to the Minister of the Left as the sprouting of the seed she had wished for.
According to the headnote, she sent it on hearing that the consort of the preceding poem had married the Minister of the Left, Fujiwara no Saneyori.
The poet, "the Princess who was Ise Priestess," is thought to be Princess Yasuko. A daughter of Emperor Uda, she served for many years as Ise Priestess in the reign of Emperor Daigo.

The first line, "Haru goto ni," means "every spring," suggesting the season of blossoms.
The second line, "yukite nomi mimu," means "I will go only to look," with "mu" expressing intention. The poem pauses here.
The third line, "toshikiri mo," means "skipping a year," taking up "toshikiri mo senu" in the second line of the preceding poem.
The fourth line, "sezu to iu tane wa," means "the seed said not to," answering "tane mogana" in the third line of the preceding poem.
The last line, "oinu to ka kiku," means "has sprouted, so I hear," with "nu" the perfective and "to ka" marking hearsay. She likens the consort's marriage to Saneyori to the sprouting of the seed.
Author: Princess Yasuko
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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