Ari tote mo ikuyo ka wa furu Karakuni no tora fusu nobe ni mi o mo nageten - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

ありとても幾世かは経る唐国の
虎伏す野辺に身をも投げてん

Roma-ji: Ari tote mo ikuyo ka wa furu Karakuni no tora fusu nobe ni mi o mo nageten
English Translation: Even if I live,
how many ages could I pass?
In the land of Kara,
on the moor where tigers lie,
I'll cast away my body.
Meaning: Even if I go on living, how many ages could I last? I would rather throw myself down on a moor in China where the tigers lie.
Commentary: Book Nineteen Miscellaneous Love Poems 1227

Headnote: "Sent by a man who had fallen deeply in love with a woman who had a husband"
The poet asks how many ages he could last even if he lived, and says he would throw himself down on a moor in China where tigers lie. The headnote shows it was sent by a man who loved a married woman with all his heart. It is said to draw on the tale of the prince, in a former life of the Buddha, who gave his body to a starving tigress, and it pleads in the form of an exaggerated vow the fierce feeling that he would gladly cast away his life for a hopeless love.

First line, "ari tote mo," means "even if I live," with "tote mo" a concessive supposition.
Second line, "ikuyo ka wa furu," means "how many ages could I pass," with "ka wa" a rhetorical question. The poem breaks after this second line.
Third line, "Karakuni no," means "of China."
Fourth line, "tora fusu nobe ni," means "on the moor where tigers lie," calling to mind the tale of offering one's body to the tigress.
Final line, "mi o mo nageten," means "I will cast my body down," with "te" the irrealis form of the perfective "tsu" and "n" an auxiliary of intention.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Shui Wakashu
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