Mi o sutete yama ni irinishi ware nareba kuma no kurawamu koto mo oboezu - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

身を捨てて山に入りにし我なれば
くまのくらはむこともおぼえず

Roma-ji: Mi o sutete yama ni irinishi ware nareba kuma no kurawamu koto mo oboezu
English Translation: Since I am the one
who cast my life away
and entered the hills,
that bears might come to eat me
does not even cross my mind.
Meaning: Since I am one who has cast away the self and entered the mountains, I do not even think about bears coming to devour me.
Commentary: Book Seven Names of Things 382

Headnote: "When the monk Gaen was staying at a mountain temple called Kuma no Kura, and he asked the monk who served as its abbot to compose a poem"
The poet says that, having renounced the world and entered the mountains, he does not even think about being eaten by bears. While speaking of his resolve as one who has left the world, he hides the name of the mountain temple, Kuma no Kura, in the run of sounds "kuma no kurawamu" in the fourth line. According to the headnote, when the monk Gaen stayed at a mountain temple called Kuma no Kura and asked the resident abbot for a poem, this was the abbot's reply.

First line, "mi o sutete," means "casting away the self," referring to leaving the world for religion.
Second line, "yama ni irinishi," means "who entered the mountains," with "ni" perfective and "shi" a past auxiliary.
Third line, "ware nareba," means "since I am one."
Fourth line, "kuma no kurawamu," means "that bears would devour," hiding the temple's name in "kuma no kura." After the names of rivers in the preceding poems, the name of a mountain place is sung of.
Final line, "koto mo oboezu," means "does not even trouble me."
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Shui Wakashu
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