Mutsumashiki Imose no yama no naka ni sae hedatsuru kumo no harezu mo aru kana - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

睦ましき妹背の山の中にさへ
隔つる雲の晴れずもあるかな

Roma-ji: Mutsumashiki Imose no yama no naka ni sae hedatsuru kumo no harezu mo aru kana
English Translation: Even in between
the close-joined Imose hills,
sister and brother,
the clouds that hold them apart
will not clear away, alas
Meaning: Even between the close-joined hills of Imose, sister and brother, the clouds that separate them refuse to clear.
Commentary: Book Seventeen Miscellaneous Poems III 1214

Headnote: "When something, whatever it was, seemed to have happened between siblings, and they did not seem themselves."
The poet laments that even between the close hills of Imose the dividing clouds do not clear. Likening siblings to the paired Imo and Se hills, the poet worries over their discord, the clouds between them refusing to lift.
According to the headnote, something seemed to have happened between the siblings, and they did not seem as usual, so this poem was composed.
The poet is anonymous and the name is not known.

The first line, "Mutsumashiki," means "close and loving."
The second line, "Imose no yama no," means "of the Imo and Se hills" in Kii, a famous poetic place; "imose" here stands for siblings.
The third line, "naka ni sae," means "even between," with "sae" adding a further case.
The fourth line, "hedatsuru kumo no," means "the clouds that divide," a figure for the rift between them.
The last line, "harezu mo aru kana," means "will not clear, alas," with "kana" exclamatory.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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