Ueshi toki chigiri ya shiken Takekuma no matsu o futatabi aimitsuru kana - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

植ゑし時契りやしけん武隈の
松をふたたびあひ見つるかな

Roma-ji: Ueshi toki chigiri ya shiken Takekuma no matsu o futatabi aimitsuru kana
English Translation: When I planted it,
did we make a pledge, I wonder?
The Takekuma
pine and I, a second time,
have come to meet again
Meaning: Did we make a pledge when I planted it, I wonder? For here I am meeting the pine of Takekuma once again.
Commentary: Book Seventeen Miscellaneous Poems III 1241

Headnote: "When he went down to Michinoku as governor, he saw that the pine of Takekuma had withered and had a young pine planted in its place; after his term ended he was again appointed to the same province, and on seeing the pine he had planted during his previous term, he composed this."
The poet wonders whether he made a pledge when planting it, since he has met the Takekuma pine again. He likens to a pledge exchanged with the pine his joy and the strange bond of meeting again the young tree he had planted as Governor of Michinoku, now that he has been reappointed.
According to the headnote, when he went down to Michinoku as governor and found the Takekuma pine withered, he had a young pine planted to succeed it; after his term he was again appointed governor of the same province, and on seeing the pine he had planted, composed this.
The poet, "Lord Fujiwara no Motoyoshi," is Fujiwara no Motoyoshi, an official of the early Heian period who served as Governor of Michinoku.

The first line, "Ueshi toki," means "when I planted it," during his earlier term.
The second line, "chigiri ya shiken," means "did we make a pledge, I wonder," with the interrogative binding particle "ya" closed by the attributive "ken." The poem pauses here.
The third line, "Takekuma no," means "of Takekuma" in Michinoku, a famous poetic place known for its twin-trunked pine.
The fourth line, "matsu o futatabi," means "the pine, a second time," seeing it again on reappointment.
The last line, "aimitsuru kana," means "have I met again," with "kana" exclamatory.
Author: Fujiwara no Motoyoshi
Source: Gosen Wakashu
Prev Poem: Tarachime wa kakare tote shimo mubatama no waga kurokami o nadezu ya ariken
Next Poem: Sugawara ya Fushimi no kure ni miwataseba kasumi ni magau Ohatsuse no yama