Shinobi amari ama no kawase ni kotoyosen semete wa aki o wasure dani su na - Shin Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

忍びあまり天の川瀬に言寄せん
せめては秋を忘れだにすな

Roma-ji: Shinobi amari ama no kawase ni kotoyosen semete wa aki o wasure dani su na
English Translation: Unable to hide,
I shall speak through the shallows
of the River of Heaven:
at the very least, I beg,
do not forget the autumn.
Meaning: No longer able to hide my love, I will speak of it through the shallows of the River of Heaven: at least do not forget the autumn, when the lovers meet once a year.
Commentary: Book Twelve Love Poems II 1129

Headnote: "On 'Hidden Love Across a River.'"
This is the second of three poems on waiting for love. No longer able to hide it, the speaker will speak of love through the River of Heaven of the Tanabata tale, and asks the beloved at least not to forget the autumn of the yearly meeting. According to the headnote, it was composed on the topic "Hidden Love Across a River."
The author, "Tsuneie, Senior Third Rank," is Fujiwara no Tsuneie. The son of Fujiwara no Shigeie, Senior Assistant Governor-General of Dazaifu, he was a poet of the Rokujō Fujiwara house.
Tanabata is the festival based on the legend that the Herdsman and the Weaver Maiden cross the River of Heaven to meet once a year on the night of the seventh day of the seventh month.

The first line, "shinobi amari," means "unable to hide any longer," a hypermetric line of six syllables. It is the same first line as in poem 1122 of this book.
The second line, "ama no kawase ni," means "in the shallows of the River of Heaven," turning the "river" of the topic into the River of Heaven of Tanabata.
The third line, "kotoyosen," means "I will speak under cover of it," with "n" expressing intention. The poem breaks after the third line; unable to speak of hidden love openly, the speaker would convey it under the pretext of the Tanabata meeting.
The fourth line, "semete wa aki o," means "at least the autumn." Autumn is the season of the Tanabata meeting, the time of meeting even once a year.
The last line, "wasure dani su na," means "do not so much as forget," with "dani" the least of wishes and "na" a prohibition. Wishing to meet once a year like the Herdsman and the Weaver Maiden, the speaker asks for at least that much meeting, against the unvisited waiting of the preceding poem.
Author: Fujiwara no Tsuneie
Source: Shin Kokin Wakashu
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