Kimi o okite izuchi yukuran ware dani mo ukiyo no naka ni shiite koso fure - Izumi Shikibu Nikki(English Translation & Meaning)

君ををきていつち行らん我たにも
浮世中にしゐてこそふれ

Roma-ji: Kimi o okite izuchi yukuran ware dani mo ukiyo no naka ni shiite koso fure
English Translation: Leaving you behind,
where could she ever wish to go?
Even I, for one,
in this sorrowful world of ours
force myself to live on
Meaning: Where could she be going, leaving you behind? Even I, in this sorrowful world, force myself to go on living.
Commentary: 24 For One Departing Afar

After their exchange of jottings about the dawn moon, at the end of the ninth month a letter came from the prince. After mentioning how long it had been, he wrote: "This is a strange request, but someone with whom I have secretly exchanged words is going far away, and I want to send a single touching poem. Whatever you write seems to have that quality, so please compose one for me." Izumi Shikibu thought him rather pleased with himself, but to say she could not oblige would seem too clever by half, so she answered only that she could hardly refuse his command, and composed a poem.
The woman is Izumi Shikibu, daughter of Ōe no Masamune and, as the wife of Tachibana no Michisada, Governor of Izumi, mother of Koshikibu no Naishi. The Prince of the Dazaifu is Prince Atsumichi, fourth son of Emperor Reizei, so called because he served as Governor-General of the Dazaifu. The text does not name the person who was going away.
After composing "Oshimaruru namida ni kage wa tomaranan kokoro mo shirazu aki wa yuku tomo" on his behalf, Izumi Shikibu wrote, "In truth, this makes me feel awkward," and in the margin, with the words "And yet," she added this poem.
The prince wrote that to say she had read his feelings exactly would make it look as if he knew the woman well, and that she seemed to be guessing far too much, and he returned "Uchisutete tabi yuku hito wa sa mo araba are mata naki mono ni kimi shi omowaba."

The opening lines mean "leaving you, where could she be going?" with an interrogative of direction and an auxiliary of present conjecture. Apart from the poem written on his behalf, she here speaks for herself, thinking of the woman who leaves the prince behind.
The remaining lines mean "even I force myself to live on in this sorrowful world," with particles meaning "even" and "by force," and an emphatic construction that turns concessive. Contrasting the departing woman with herself, who goes on living in a sorrowful world relying on the prince, she quietly confides her love for him.
Author: Izumi Shikibu
Source: Izumi Shikibu Nikki
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