Kyō yori wa tsuyu no inochi mo oshikarazu hachisu no ue no tama to chigireba - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

今日よりは露の命も惜しからず
蓮の上の玉と契れば

Roma-ji: Kyō yori wa tsuyu no inochi mo oshikarazu hachisu no ue no tama to chigireba
English Translation: From this day onward,
this life, fleeting as the dew,
I do not begrudge,
for I have vowed to become
a jewel on the lotus leaf.
Meaning: From this day on, I do not begrudge this life, fleeting as dew, for I have vowed to become a jewel of dew upon the lotus of paradise.
Commentary: Book Twenty Lament Poems 1340

Headnote: "When General of the Left Narutoki had a sermon held at Shirakawa"
The poet says that from today he does not begrudge his dewlike life, for he has vowed to become a jewel upon the lotus. The headnote shows it was composed when Fujiwara no Narutoki, General of the Left, held a sermon at Shirakawa. Narutoki was his uncle, who raised him. Laying the dewlike life over a jewel of dew on the lotus, he sings of his joy at forming a bond for rebirth in paradise by hearing the sermon, conveying the feeling of one who, thinking he will be born upon the lotus of paradise after death, no longer clings to life.
The author, written as "Lord Sanekata," is Fujiwara no Sanekata. A son of Fujiwara no Sadatoki, he was adopted by his uncle Narutoki. He died at his post as Governor of Mutsu. He is one of the Thirty-Six Later Immortal Poets and is known for his poem "kaku to dani" in the Hyakunin Isshu.

First line, "kyō yori wa," means "from today on," the day he formed a bond with the Buddha by hearing the sermon.
Second line, "tsuyu no inochi mo," means "even this life, fleeting as dew."
Third line, "oshikarazu," means "I do not begrudge," and the poem breaks after this third line, the lower verse giving the reason in inverted order.
Fourth line, "hachisu no ue no," means "upon the lotus" of paradise, speaking of rebirth in the Pure Land.
Final line, "tama to chigireba," means "since I have vowed to be a jewel," layering the "dew" of the second line with the jewel of dew on a lotus leaf. It leads into the poems that follow, which pray for rebirth in paradise.
Author: Fujiwara no Sanekata
Source: Shui Wakashu
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