Namidagawa mizu masareba ya shikitae no makura no ukite tomarazaruran - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

涙川水まさればやしきたへの
枕のうきて止まらざるらん

Roma-ji: Namidagawa mizu masareba ya shikitae no makura no ukite tomarazaruran
English Translation: Has the river of tears
risen so high, I wonder,
that the pillow fine,
floating, sad, upon its flood,
will not stay with us at all?
Meaning: Is it because the river of tears has risen that the pillow floats away, sorrowful, and will not stay?
Commentary: Book Nineteen Miscellaneous Love Poems 1258

Headnote: "When Consultant Tadakimi, soon after he began visiting Masanobu's daughter, had his furnishings carried back, and the agarwood pillow Masanobu sent along with them was returned"
The poet asks whether the pillow floats away and will not stay because the river of tears has risen. The headnote shows that soon after Consultant Tadakimi began visiting the poet's daughter he had his furnishings carried back, and when the poet sent an agarwood pillow along with them, that too was returned, so he composed this. Likening the swift end of his daughter's marriage to a pillow floating away on a river of tears, and letting "uki," floating, echo with sorrow, he sings of a father's grief.
The author, written as "Masanobu," is Minamoto no Masanobu. A son of Prince Atsumi, son of Emperor Uda, he rose to Minister of the Left. His daughter Rinshi became the wife of Fujiwara no Michinaga.

First line, "namidagawa," a "river of tears," speaks of tears flowing like a river.
Second line, "mizu masareba ya," means "is it because the water has risen," with "ba" after the perfective form expressing cause and the binding particle "ya" resolved by "ran" in the final line.
Third line, "shikitae no," is a pillow word leading to "makura," pillow.
Fourth line, "makura no ukite," is a pivot word: "uki" means the pillow "floating" and "sorrowful."
Final line, "tomarazaruran," means "will not stay," with "zaru" negative and "ran" the attributive form of the auxiliary conjecturing the cause. It sees the returned pillow as one floating away on a river of tears.
Author: Minamoto no Masanobu
Source: Shui Wakashu
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