Hatsusegawa wataru se sae ya nigoruran yo ni sumigataki waga mi to omoeba - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

初瀬川渡る瀬さへや濁るらん
世にすみがたき我が身と思へば

Roma-ji: Hatsusegawa wataru se sae ya nigoruran yo ni sumigataki waga mi to omoeba
English Translation: Hatsuse River—
are even the shallows I cross
running muddy now,
since I think myself one who
cannot live in this world clear
Meaning: Are even the shallows of the Hatsuse River I cross turning muddy? For I feel I am one who can scarcely live in this world with a clear name.
Commentary: Book Nineteen Parting Poems 1350

Headnote: "Composed while crossing the Hatsuse River, when a certain person who had acquired a shameful name was going to the province of Tōtōmi."
The poet wonders whether even the shallows of the Hatsuse River are muddied, since he feels himself one who can hardly live in the world. Lamenting that he must go to Tōtōmi under a shameful name, he joins "sumu," to live, with "sumu," to be clear, and says even a river that should be pure looks muddy to one who bears disgrace.
According to the headnote, a certain person who had acquired a shameful name composed this while crossing the Hatsuse River on the way to Tōtōmi. Poem 1334 of this book also concerns one who goes to the provinces under a shameful name.
The poet is anonymous and the name is not known.

The first line, "Hatsusegawa," is the river flowing through Hatsuse in Yamato.
The second line, "wataru se sae ya," means "even the shallows I cross," with "sae" adding a case and "ya" an interrogative binding particle.
The third line, "nigoruran," means "are they muddied," closing the "ya" with the attributive "ran." The poem pauses here, inverted with the lower verse.
The fourth line, "yo ni sumigataki," is a pivot word on "sumi," both living and being clear: hard to live in the world, and hard to be clear. "Clear" contrasts with "muddy" and is an associated word with "river."
The last line, "waga mi to omoeba," means "since I think myself so," with "ba" giving the cause.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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