Koiwabinu Chinu no masurao naranaku ni Ikuta no kawa ni mi o ya nagemashi - Senzai Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

恋ひわびぬ茅渟の益荒男ならなくに
生田の川に身をや投げまし

Roma-ji: Koiwabinu Chinu no masurao naranaku ni Ikuta no kawa ni mi o ya nagemashi
English Translation: Weary of my love,
though I am not that brave man
of Chinu of old,
shall I cast myself as well
into the River Ikuta?
Meaning: I am worn out with love. Though I am no hero of Chinu from the old tale, should I throw myself into the River Ikuta?
Commentary: Book Twelve Love Poems II 733

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Topic unknown"
I am worn out with love, he says; though I am not the brave man of Chinu, shall I throw myself into the River Ikuta? In the legend of the Ikuta River in Settsu, a maiden courted by two men threw herself into the river, and the man of Chinu followed her. Drawing on this legend, he laments that though he is not the man of the tale, the pain of love drives him too to think of casting himself into the river.
The author, "Fujiwara no Michitsune," was an official and poet of the late Heian period. Little is known of his career.
The legend of the Ikuta River appears in the Yamato Monogatari and in the Man'yōshū poems on the Unai maiden. Poem 715 of this book likewise sings of throwing oneself into the river of tears, corresponding to this poem in the act of casting oneself away.

First line, "koiwabinu": "wabu" is to be worn with care and "nu" a perfective auxiliary, "I am worn out with love." The poem pauses here.
Second line, "Chinu no masurao": the man of Chinu in Izumi who, in the Ikuta River legend, courted the maiden and followed her into the river.
Third line, "naranaku ni": "naku ni" means "though I am not."
Fourth line, "Ikuta no kawa ni": the Ikuta River is a famed place in Settsu, the river into which the maiden of the legend threw herself.
Fifth line, "mi o ya nagemashi": "ya" is an interrogative particle binding with "mashi," which expresses hesitant intention, "shall I throw myself in?" Like "mi o nagen" in the third line of 715 of this book, it sings of casting oneself into a river.
Author: Fujiwara no Michitsune
Source: Senzai Wakashu
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