Hitomoto no matsu no chitose mo hisashiki ni itsuki no miya zo omoiyararuru - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

一本の松の千歳も久しきに
斎の宮ぞ思ひやらるる

Roma-ji: Hitomoto no matsu no chitose mo hisashiki ni itsuki no miya zo omoiyararuru
English Translation: If the thousand years
of a single pine tree
are so long a span,
how my thoughts go out to
the sacred priestess's years!
Meaning: If even the thousand years of a single pine are so long, how much more do my thoughts go out to the long years ahead of the High Priestess!
Commentary: Book Sixteen Miscellaneous Spring Poems 1025

Headnote: "The Day of the Rat at the residence of the High Priestess of Kamo"
The poet says that if even a single pine's thousand years is long, how much longer must be the future of the High Priestess. The headnote shows it was composed at a Day of the Rat celebration held at the residence of the High Priestess of Kamo. Bringing up the thousand-year life of the pine of the Day of the Rat, it celebrates the long life and prosperity of the High Priestess as surpassing even that.
The author, written as "Shitagō," is Minamoto no Shitagau. Of the Saga Genji line, he took part, as one of the Five Men of the Pear Chamber, in compiling the Gosenshū and reading the Man'yōshū, and he compiled the dictionary Wamyō Ruijushō. He is counted among the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets.

First line, "hitomoto no," means "of a single."
Second line, "matsu no chitose mo," means "even the thousand years of the pine," sharing the word "chitose" with the second line of the preceding poem, 1024, "chitose no haru wa."
Third line, "hisashiki ni," means "is long, and yet more," with "ni" a conjunctive particle of addition.
Fourth line, "itsuki no miya zo," means "the High Priestess," with the binding particle "zo" resolved by the attributive form "ruru" in the final line.
Final line, "omoiyararuru," means "comes naturally to mind," with "ruru" the attributive form of the spontaneous auxiliary "ru."
Author: Minamoto no Shitagō
Source: Shui Wakashu
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