Naoki ki ni magareru eda mo aru mono o ke o fuki kizu o iu ga warinasa - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

直き木に曲がれる枝もあるものを
毛を吹き疵を言ふがわりなさ

Roma-ji: Naoki ki ni magareru eda mo aru mono o ke o fuki kizu o iu ga warinasa
English Translation: Even a straight tree
may have a crooked branch or two,
and yet they go
blowing back the fur to find a flaw—
how unreasonable it is
Meaning: Even a straight tree has its crooked branches, yet they blow back the fur to hunt for the smallest flaw—how unreasonable it is!
Commentary: Book Sixteen Miscellaneous Poems II 1155

Headnote: "On hearing that people of the day were saying I was far too fond of novelties."
The poet says that even a straight tree has crooked branches, and how unreasonable it is to blow back the fur to search out flaws. Told that people called her far too fond of refined pursuits, she protests the heartlessness of those who seize on small faults, since everyone has some.
According to the headnote, it was composed on hearing that people of the day said she was overly fond of novelties. "Blowing back the fur to find a flaw" comes from a saying in the Chinese Han Feizi about parting the fur to search for small hidden blemishes. The next poem is by Emperor Saga's empress, so two poems by women connected with Emperor Saga stand together.
The poet, Princess Takatsu, was a daughter of Emperor Kanmu who became a consort of Emperor Saga but is said to have later been deprived of her rank.

The first line, "Naoki ki ni," means "on a straight tree too," with an extra syllable.
The second line, "magareru eda mo," means "crooked branches too," with "ru" the attributive of the continuative "ri."
The third line, "aru mono o," means "there are, and yet," with "mono o" adversative. The poem pauses here.
The fourth line, "ke o fuki kizu o," means "blowing back the fur, a flaw," a figure for deliberately hunting out another's small faults.
The last line, "iu ga warinasa," means "how unreasonable to point it out," ending on a noun.
Author: Princess Takatsu
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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