Wasuraruru mi o ba omowazu chikaiteshi hito no inochi no oshiku mo aru kana - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

忘らるる身をば思はず誓ひてし
人の命の惜しくもあるかな

Roma-ji: Wasuraruru mi o ba omowazu chikaiteshi hito no inochi no oshiku mo aru kana
English Translation: Forgotten as I am,
I do not think of myself,
but you who swore your vow—
how I fear that your own life
may be forfeit for it.
Meaning: I give no thought to myself, forgotten as I am; but you swore before the gods, and I cannot help fearing for your life.
Commentary: Book Fourteen Love Poems IV 870

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Topic unknown"
The poem says: I do not think of myself, who am forgotten, but I fear for your life, you who swore before the gods, lest you lose it as punishment for breaking your vow. Seeming to care for a faithless lover, it may also be read as carrying sharp irony and lingering attachment, and it is famous as a poem open to a range of interpretations.
The author, "Ukon," was the daughter of Fujiwara no Suenawa, Minor Captain of the Right Inner Palace Guards, and served Onshi, empress of Emperor Daigo. Her love poems with Fujiwara no Atsutada and others are preserved in the Yamato Monogatari.
It was chosen for the Hyakunin Isshu and is widely known. The Yamato Monogatari also includes a tale about this poem.

First line, "wasuraruru," means "to be forgotten," with "ruru" the attributive of the passive auxiliary "ru." Against the fourth line of the preceding poem, 869, "wasururu kimi ga," it distinguishes the one who forgets from the one forgotten.
Second line, "mi o ba omowazu," means "I give no thought to myself." The poem breaks here.
Third line, "chikaiteshi," means "who swore," with "te" the continuative of the perfective "tsu" and "shi" the attributive of the past "ki." With "chikaite mo" in the preceding poem and "chikaiken" in the next poem, 871, it forms a sequence of vows.
Fourth line, "hito no inochi no," means "your life." It shares with "inochi o kakete" in the next poem, 871, the binding of life to a vow.
Final line, "oshiku mo aru kana," means "how I fear for it," with "kana" expressing exclamation. It contrasts with the final line of the closing poem of this book, 924, "oshikeku mo nashi," which ends with a heart that no longer cares for its own life.
Author: Ukon
Source: Shui Wakashu
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