忘れじの

行く末までは

難ければ

けふを限りの

命ともがな

ぎどうさんしのはは

わすれじの

ゆくすえまでは

かたければ

きょうをかぎりの

いのちともがな

The Mother of Gido Sanshi

If caring for me

Would ever in future years

Become too difficult,

It would truely be better

To end my life now.

Hiroshige

Gido Sanshi no Haha (? - 996), Gidosanshi no Haha, also known as Takashina no Kishi, Takako or Kishi, was the wife of Fujiwara no Michitaka and mother of Korechika and Sadako (also called Teishi), empress to Emperor Ichijo. Gidosanshi (jundaijin) was Korechika’s official rank. There are five poems of her in existing collections.

作者略伝と語釈

This poem is said to have been composed when she was just married to Michitaka.

No woodcut by Hokusai is available for this poem.

I suppose it would be possible to read this poem also as follows:

“If caring for him would ever in future years become too difficult for me, it would truely be better to end my life now.”