Hyakunin Isshu: Meet the Poets
Mother of the Honorary Grand Minister

Meaning

The promise that you would never forget me — that is too much to ask forever. I only wish my life would end today, while the vow still holds.

Commentary

The poem captures a moment of peak happiness shaded by dread. While the promise of undying love is still fresh, the speaker wishes she could die now — before the vow has a chance to fade. It is a poem of paradoxical love logic: the wish to end life at its happiest point.

Known as Kōki-mon'in no Migi no Ōi, she was renowned for her beauty and her connection to the powerful Nakanokwanpaku clan. This poem is said to have been composed in response to a lover's vow of eternal fidelity. She died young, giving the poem an especially poignant resonance.

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