Yume ni dani ureshi to mo miba utsutsu nite wabishiki yori wa nao masarinan - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

夢にだにうれしとも見ばうつつにて
わびしきよりはなほまさりなん

Roma-ji: Yume ni dani ureshi to mo miba utsutsu nite wabishiki yori wa nao masarinan
English Translation: If only in dreams
I could see some cause for joy,
that, I think, would be
far better than this waking life
of loneliness and want
Meaning: If I could see something joyful even only in my dreams, it would still be far better than this waking life of loneliness and want.
Commentary: Book Sixteen Miscellaneous Poems II 1194

Headnote: "In the Engi reign, sent to the Chamberlain of the day, apparently in hope that he would report it to the emperor."
The poet says that if he could see something joyful even in dreams, it would surely be better than living in misery in waking life. Lamenting that reality brings only the loneliness of an unfavored lot and that he would welcome joy even in dreams, he addresses a Chamberlain in hope of his words reaching the emperor.
According to the headnote, in the Engi reign of Emperor Daigo, he sent this to the Chamberlain of the day, apparently hoping it would be reported to the emperor. It is the closing poem of Miscellaneous Poems II: where the opening poem, 1125, began with a plea of misfortune to the Chancellor, this one ends the book with a lament hoping for the emperor's favor, so poems of personal grievance bind the book's beginning and end.
The poet, "Mitsune," is Ōshikōchi no Mitsune. One of the compilers of the Kokinshu, he is counted among the Thirty-Six Poetic Immortals. The Ogura Hyakunin Isshu includes his poem "Kokoroate ni oraba ya oramu hatsushimo no."

The first line, "Yume ni dani," means "if only in dreams," with "dani" a minimal wish.
The second line, "ureshi to mo miba," means "if I saw something joyful," with "ba" a supposition.
The third line, "utsutsu nite," means "in waking life," paired against the "dreams" of the first line.
The fourth line, "wabishiki yori wa," means "rather than living in misery," the hardship of an unfavored lot.
The last line, "nao masarinan," means "would still be far better," with "nan" strong conjecture. The book closes with this lament of one who seeks joy even in dreams.
Author: Oshikochi no Mitsune
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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