Todokōru koto wa nakeredo Sumiyoshi no matsu kokoro ni ya hisashikaruramu - Shika Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

滞ることはなけれど住吉の
まつ心にや久しかるらむ

Roma-ji: Todokōru koto wa nakeredo Sumiyoshi no matsu kokoro ni ya hisashikaruramu
English Translation: Nothing at all, I think,
is being held back — and yet
like the Sumiyoshi pines,
it is your waiting heart, perhaps,
that makes the time seem long
Meaning: Nothing is being held back; it is only that your heart waits like the pines of Sumiyoshi, perhaps, that makes the time seem so long.
Commentary: Book Ten Miscellaneous Poems II 376

This poem answers the question of the preceding poem, 375. Nothing is held back, it says; it is only that a heart waiting like the pines of Sumiyoshi makes the time seem long. The author of the preceding poem, Tsumori no Kunimoto, was the chief priest of the Sumiyoshi Shrine, and through that connection the poet brings in the pines of Sumiyoshi, soothing and encouraging him.

The first line, "todokōru," begins by taking up the word of the preceding poem's fourth line.
The second line, "koto wa nakeredo," uses the concessive "do": though there is nothing.
The third line, "Sumiyoshi no," names a poetic place in Settsu Province famed for its pines.
The fourth line, "matsu kokoro ni ya," is a pivot word joining the "pine" (matsu) of Sumiyoshi and "waiting" (matsu), posing a question with "ya."
The final line, "hisashikaruramu," closes "ya" with the attributive "ramu," a kakari-musubi: does it seem long? "Hisashi" (long-lasting) is associated with the pine.
Author: Fujiwara no Akisue
Source: Shika Wakashu
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