Year
My Translation
By Prince Motoyoshi
Dwelling on the bay and channel posts,
I’m grieving for our scene,
But now it’s all the same
If I cannot meet you again,
Despite the ruin, body and name.
Original Japanese
元良親王
わびぬれば
今はた同じ
難波なる
身をつくしても
逢はむとぞ思ふ
Japanese Pronunciation
Motoyoshi Shinno
Wabi nureba
Ima hata onaji
Naniwa naru
Mi o tsukushite mo
Awan to zo omou
Literal & Notes
[to be worried/grieved/pining for/beauty in similicity/apology/excuse] [drama’s love scene / to get wet]
Now [field/close/near/end/tip/point] same
Naniwa become
Body [all sorts of / all kinds of]
Meeting not think
“mi wo tsukushite” can means destroy oneself or sacrifice oneself while “mio tsukushi” means “channel marker”
“Na” is Naniwa is the same pronunciation as “name”
“Naniwa” is old Osaka and literally means “difficult/impossible waves”
Prince Motoyoshi was known have a lot of affairs and had one with Fujiwara no Hoshi, wife of retired Emperor Uda. As the story came out, it caused a scandal.