Sawa ni nomi toshi wa henuredo ashitazu no kokoro wa kumo no ue ni nomi koso - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

沢にのみ年は経ぬれど葦鶴の
心は雲の上にのみこそ

Roma-ji: Sawa ni nomi toshi wa henuredo ashitazu no kokoro wa kumo no ue ni nomi koso
English Translation: Only in the marsh
has it spent its passing years,
yet the reed-crane's heart
is forever far above,
up among the clouds on high.
Meaning: Though the crane among the reeds has spent its years only in the marsh, its heart is always above the clouds.
Commentary: Book Eleven Love Poems I 650

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Topic unknown"
The poem says that the reed-crane has spent its years only in the marsh, yet its heart is always above the clouds. In a crane that lives in a marsh on the ground yet longs to fly high in the sky, it figures the poet himself yearning for one of far higher station. "Kumo no ue," above the clouds, suggests the imperial palace, and the Gosenshū gives the poem, with slight differences, as one sent to the Fourth Princess, a daughter of Emperor Daigo.
The author, written as "the Kujō Minister of the Right," is Fujiwara no Morosuke. The second son of the Regent Fujiwara no Tadahira, he rose to Minister of the Right and founded the Kujō line. His daughter Anshi became empress to Emperor Murakami, and his sons Koretada and Kaneie later became regents.

First line, "sawa ni nomi," means "only in the marsh," hinting at a low station. It repeats "nomi" with the final line, "kumo no ue ni nomi," in contrast.
Second line, "toshi wa henuredo," means "though it has spent its years," with "nure" the perfective form of the perfective "nu."
Third line, "ashitazu no," means "of the crane among the reeds," a figure for the poet himself.
Fourth line, "kokoro wa kumo no," means "its heart, of the clouds."
Final line, "ue ni nomi koso," means "is only above," a trailing form that omits the resolution of "koso." "Kumo no ue" means the palace, or the place where the high-born dwell.
Author: Fujiwara no Morosuke
Source: Shui Wakashu
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