Of the night we slept
The dream seems so fleeting now—
Yet when I doze on,
Half in sleep once more I feel
Its frailty grow still deeper.

Meaning

The dream of the night when I slept with you fades away so quickly. When I return and doze again, I fall into an even more fleeting dreamlike feeling.

Commentary

103. The Night We Slept

There was a certain man. He was very earnest and not at all frivolous, and he served Emperor Ninmyō. One time, perhaps through a misunderstanding, he came to speak intimately with a woman who served the imperial princes.
The poem was composed by the man and sent to the woman.

A man not accustomed to love shows an excessive depth of feeling after sharing only a single night together. That state of mind appears in the poem. At the end of the episode it is even said that the poem itself was rather awkward.

Source

Ise Monogatari

Other

Beneath blooming flowers Many people hide themselves— So perhaps the shade Of the wisteria appears Fairer than it was before.
Though one turns away, One does not mount upon clouds And fly from the world; Yet the bitter things of life Are said to grow far away.
Seeing you, I think You must be an ama of the sea— So at the sight of you I find myself hoping still You will bid me taste the weed.
White dewdrops— If they must vanish, let them Vanish as they will; Even if they should remain, None would string them as bright beads.

Of the night we slept The dream seems so fleeting now— Yet when I doze on, Half in sleep once more I feel Its frailty grow still deeper.

Of the night we slept
The dream seems so fleeting now—
Yet when I doze on,
Half in sleep once more I feel
Its frailty grow still deeper.