Yamakawa no oto ni nomi kiku momoshiki o mi o haya nagara miru yoshi mo gana - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

山川の音にのみ聞く百敷を
身をはやながら見るよしもがな

Roma-ji: Yamakawa no oto ni nomi kiku momoshiki o mi o haya nagara miru yoshi mo gana
English Translation: The palace I hear of
only as the sound of rumor,
like a mountain stream—
if only there were some way
to see it, still as I was
Meaning: The palace I hear of only by report, like the distant sound of a mountain stream—if only there were some way to see it again, just as I was before.
Commentary: Book Eighteen Miscellaneous Poems IV 1291

Headnote: "Sent to someone she had known long ago who was serving at the palace."
The poet wishes she had some way to see, as the self she once was, the palace she now hears of only by report, like the sound of a mountain stream. From her life away from court service, she tells an old friend serving there of her longing to see the palace as before.
According to the headnote, she sent this to an old acquaintance who was serving at the palace.
The poet, Ise, was a daughter of Fujiwara no Tsugukage, Governor of Ise, and served Fujiwara no Onshi, consort of Emperor Uda. She received the emperor's favor and later bore Nakatsukasa to Prince Atsuyoshi. One of the Thirty-Six Poetic Immortals, she is represented in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu by "Naniwagata mijikaki ashi no fushi no ma mo."

The first line, "Yamakawa no," means "of a mountain stream," leading to "sound" in the second line.
The second line, "oto ni nomi kiku," means "that I hear of only by report," "oto" being both the stream's sound and rumor.
The third line, "momoshiki o," means "the palace." The third line of 1266 of this book likewise speaks of the palace as "momoshiki."
The fourth line, "mi o haya nagara," means "as the self I was before," with "haya" meaning as of old. "Haya," swift, is an associated word with the rapids of a mountain stream.
The last line, "miru yoshi mo gana," means "if only there were a way to see it," with "mogana" a wish.
Author: Ise
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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