Wakuraba ni ama no kawanami yoru nagara akuru sora ni wa makazu mogana

English Translation

Once in a long while
the waves of the river of
heaven draw them close
and would that the sky at dawn
had no power over them

Meaning

Once in a long while the waves of the River of Heaven bring them together for a night; would that it were not left to the brightening sky.

Commentary

Book Four Autumn Poems I 325

Headnote: as in the preceding poem, on the theme of Tanabata.
The thirteenth poem on Tanabata, grieving that the one night of the year must end. The original gives no fresh headnote.
The poet, given by her rank, is Princess Kishi (929-985), a daughter of Prince Shigeakira, son of Emperor Daigo. She served as High Priestess at Ise and afterwards became a consort of Emperor Murakami. She was known as the Priestess Consort and as a master of the zither.
The time is near dawn on the seventh day of the seventh month; the place is in heaven.
The occasion was the set topic.

The first line means once in a great while, so that the rarity of the meeting is set down first.
The second line names the waves of the River of Heaven, as in Sukechika's three hundred and seventeenth poem.
The word in the third line means both that waves draw near and that it is night. The approach of the water and the night of the meeting are held in one word, so that a term belonging to the river also serves for time; a concessive particle follows.
The fourth line means: to the sky that is growing light. When it is day they must part.
The particle at the close expresses a wish: would that it were not left to that. It is a wish against the turning of the sky, which cannot be granted, and it stands with the hundred and seventy-second poem of Book Two, which grieved for a spring it knew could not be held.

Author

Princess Kishi

Source

Shin Kokin Wakashu

Other