Aware chō koto koso tsune no kuchi no ha ni kakaru ya hito o omou naruran - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

あはれてふ事こそ常の口の端に
かかるや人を思ふなるらん

Roma-ji: Aware chō koto koso tsune no kuchi no ha ni kakaru ya hito o omou naruran
English Translation: The word "how dear"—
that, indeed, is always
on the edge of my lips,
and is it not because
my thoughts are all of you
Meaning: The word "aware," how dear, is always on the edge of my lips—and is that not because I am thinking of you?
Commentary: Book Sixteen Miscellaneous Poems II 1179

Headnote: "When a woman serving in a certain household, about whom rumors of an affair had arisen, sent me a reproach, saying she heard it was I who was talking about her."
The poet says that the word "aware" is always on the edge of his lips, and that it must be because he thinks of the other. Reproached by a woman with a rumored affair for spreading talk of her, he excuses himself by saying that what he spoke was not gossip but "aware," a word of tender feeling for her.
According to the headnote, a woman serving in a certain household had become the subject of rumor and sent him a reproach, saying she heard he was the one talking about her. 1192 of this book also opens with "aware chō koto," so poems sharing the same line are placed here.
The poet is listed as anonymous, and the composer's name has not come down to us.

The first line, "Aware chō," means "called 'aware,'" with "chō" a contraction of "to iu."
The second line, "koto koso tsune no," means "the word indeed, as always," with "koto" overlaying word.
The third line, "kuchi no ha ni," means "on the edge of my lips," taking up the woman's words "kuchi no ha ni kakete" in the headnote.
The fourth line, "kakaru ya hito o," means "is it on my lips because," with "ya" an interrogative binding particle closed by the attributive "ran" in the last line.
The last line, "omou naruran," means "I am thinking of you," with "ran" conjecture about a present cause, closing the "ya" of the fourth line.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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