Tanigawa no iwama o wakete yuku mizu no oto ni nomi ya wa kikamu to omoishi - Shika Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

谷川の岩間を分けて行く水の
音にのみやは聞かむと思ひし

Roma-ji: Tanigawa no iwama o wakete yuku mizu no oto ni nomi ya wa kikamu to omoishi
English Translation: Like the valley stream
that parts its way between rocks
as it flows along,
did I think I'd only hear
of you as a distant sound
Meaning: Like the sound of the valley stream that makes its way between the rocks, did I ever think I would know you only by rumor? Never.
Commentary: Book Seven Love Poems I 191

Using the sound of a valley stream as a preface, the poet sings of someone he knows only by report. He never meant to be content with hearing of her secondhand, and his wish to meet her grows ever stronger.

From the first line, "tanigawa no" (the valley stream), through the third line forms a preface leading to "oto" (sound).
The second line, "iwama o wakete" (parting the rocks), depicts the force of water pushing between stones and hints at the intensity of pent-up feeling.
The third line, "yuku mizu no" (flowing water), connects by simile to "oto" in the fourth line.
The fourth line, "oto ni nomi ya wa," overlaps the sound of water with "oto" in the sense of rumor, and the particle "ya wa" introduces a rhetorical question.
The final line, "kikamu to omoishi," resolves "ya wa" with the attributive past "shi," concluding that he never meant to know her only by rumor.
Author: Taira no Kanemori
Source: Shika Wakashu
Prev Poem: Omoikane kyō tatesomuru nishikigi no chitsuka mo matade au yoshi mo gana
Next Poem: Yo to tomo ni koitsutsu suguru toshitsuki wa kawaredo kawaru kokochi koso sene