Na nomi shite yama wa Mikasa mo nakarikeri asahi yūhi no sasu o iu kamo - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

名のみして山は三笠もなかりけり
朝日夕日のさすを言ふかも

Roma-ji: Na nomi shite yama wa Mikasa mo nakarikeri asahi yūhi no sasu o iu kamo
English Translation: Mikasa's but a name,
and on the mountain I find
no hat to be seen;
is it the morning, evening sun
shining down they mean by "hat"?
Meaning: Mount Mikasa is only a name, and the mountain has no hat at all; perhaps they mean the morning and evening sun shining down, as one would put on a hat.
Commentary: Book Nine Miscellaneous Poems II 547

Headnote: "Topic unknown"
The poet says that since Mount Mikasa, "Three Hats," has no hat at all and is so in name only, perhaps the name speaks of the morning and evening sun shining on it as a hat is put on. Taking up the "hat" in the place name Mikasa, he explains the gap between name and reality through a pivot on "sasu," the sun "shining" and "putting on" a hat. From here to 549, poems continue on place names that are names only, a sequence that delights in the difference between name and reality.
The author, Ki no Tsurayuki, was the leading compiler of the Kokinshū, wrote its kana preface and the Tosa Diary. He is counted among the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets.

First line, "na nomi shite," means "in name only," sharing the same line with the first line of the next poem, 548, "na nomi shite," and together with the first line of 549, "na ni wa iedo," it begins a sequence on place names that are names only.
Second line, "yama wa Mikasa mo," means "on Mount Mikasa, a hat," singing of the place name Mikasa.
Third line, "nakarikeri," means "there is none, I find," with "keri" expressing a sigh of realization. The poem breaks after this third line.
Fourth line, "asahi yūhi no," means "the morning sun and evening sun," sharing the word "yūhi" with the second line of the preceding poem, 546, "yūhi kakurenu."
Final line, "sasu o iu kamo," is a pivot word: "sasu" means the sun "shining" and "putting on" a hat. "Kamo" is a final particle of question and exclamation.
Author: Ki no Tsurayuki
Source: Shui Wakashu
Prev Poem: Yama takami yūhi kakurenu asajihara nochi mimu tame ni shime yuwamashi o
Next Poem: Na nomi shite nareru mo miezu Umezugawa iseki no mizu mo moreba narikeri