Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
忘れじの
Takashina no Kishi · 儀同三司母
忘れじの
行末までは
難ければ
今日を限りの
命ともがな
Historical kana
わすれじの
ゆくすゑまでは
かたければ
けふをかぎりの
いのちともがな
Original English translation
It is hard to trust the far future of your “I will never forget”; if only today could be the limit of my life.
History and context
Known in the collection as Gidō Sanshi no Haha, Kishi was the mother of Fujiwara no Korechika. The poem questions the durability of a spoken promise rather than simply celebrating it.
Imagery and wordplay
Today’s assurance seems safer than an unknowable future. The wish is poetic extremity, not practical counsel.
Shinkokinshū · 新古今集恋三1149
Japanese text and historical kana follow the linked Wikisource transcription. Classical poems can have variant spellings and wording in different anthologies. The source anthology reference identifies the version represented in this collection, not necessarily its earliest surviving text. English prose translations and reading notes are original interpretations; some wordplay permits more than one reading.