Haru kureba ajikata tanomi hitokata ni uku tefu uo no na koso oshikere - Shika Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

春来ればあぢかた頼み一方に
うくてふ魚の名こそ惜しけれ

Roma-ji: Haru kureba ajikata tanomi hitokata ni uku tefu uo no na koso oshikere
English Translation: When the spring comes round,
relying on that far side,
to one side alone
floats a fish, they say — how I
regret the name it bears
Meaning: When spring comes, they say, there is a fish that, trusting to the far side, floats all to one side; how I regret the name it is given — a name for idle rumor.
Commentary: Book Nine Miscellaneous Poems I 278

Invoking a fish said to float to one side when spring comes, the poet seems to overlay its "floating" (uku) with "ukina" (idle rumor), regretting that such talk should arise. With no headnote, the circumstances of composition are unclear, but it is a witty poem that sets a fish's habits against human reputation.
The final phrase, "na koso oshikere" (how I regret the name), is a stock expression for regretting gossip, often used in poems anxious about rumors of love.

The first line, "haru kureba," is a conditional of certainty: when spring comes.
The second line, "ajikata tanomi," has no settled reading, but is taken to mean relying on the far side.
The third line, "hitokata ni" (to one side), suggests imbalance.
The fourth line, "uku tefu uo no," uses "tefu," a contraction of "to iu" (called), for a fish said to float, with "uku" also echoing "ukina" (idle rumor).
The final line, "na koso oshikere," forms a kakari-musubi of "koso" and the perfective of the adjective "oshi," ending with regret over a reputation that arises.
Author: Oe no Masafusa
Source: Shika Wakashu
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