Okite miba sode nomi nurete itodoshiku kusaba no tama no kazu ya masaran - Shin Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

おきて見ば袖のみ濡れていとどしく
草葉の玉の数やまさらん

Roma-ji: Okite miba sode nomi nurete itodoshiku kusaba no tama no kazu ya masaran
English Translation: Had I risen to look,
only my sleeves would be drenched,
and still more and more
the jewels upon the grass leaves
would surely grow in number
Meaning: Had I risen and looked at the dew, only my sleeves would have been soaked, and my tears would have added still more jewels of dew to the leaves of grass.
Commentary: Book Thirteen Love Poems III 1183

Headnote: "To a woman who asked why he had left without seeing the dew on the garden plants."
This is the seventh poem of the sequence on the feelings of the morning after. Had he risen and looked at the dew in the garden, only his sleeves would have been soaked, and the dew on the grass would have increased all the more. According to the headnote, it answers a woman who asked why he had left without looking at the dew on the garden plants.
The author, "Sanekata Ason," is Fujiwara no Sanekata. A grandson of the Minister of the Left Fujiwara no Morotada and a son of the Chamberlain Fujiwara no Sadatoki, he went from Middle Captain of the Left Palace Guards to Governor of Mutsu and died in that province. He is one of the Later Thirty-Six Poetic Immortals.

In the first line, "okite miba," "oki" is a pivot word meaning both "rising from bed" and "dew settles." It sets out the supposition, "had I risen and looked at the dew."
The second line, "sode nomi nurete," means "only my sleeves would be soaked." It uses the same line as 1167 of this book, showing sleeves wet with tears of parting.
The third line, "itodoshiku," means "all the more."
The fourth line, "kusaba no tama no," means "of the jewels on the grass leaves." Likening dew to jewels, it takes up "the dew on the garden plants" of the headnote.
The last line, "kazu ya masaran," means "would they not grow in number?" with "ya" forming a kakari-musubi with "ran." He answers her question with the reasoning that, had he looked at the dew, his tears of parting would have fallen and increased it, and so he did not look. Following the preceding poem's denial of dawn, this poem explains why he left without looking at the images of dawn.
Author: Fujiwara no Sanekata
Source: Shin Kokin Wakashu
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