classic waka stream

忘れじと言ひしばかりのなごりとて
その夜の月はめぐり来にけり
Roma-ji

Wasureji to iishi bakari no nagori tote sono yo no tsuki wa megurikinikeri

English Translation
"I won't forget," you said,
and as the remnant only
of those words of yours,
the very moon of that night
has come circling round again.
Meaning
As the only remnant of your words, "I will not forget," the moon of that night has come circling round again.
Commentary
Book Fourteen Love Poems IV 1277

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "For the Poetry Contest in Fifteen Hundred Rounds."
This is the twenty-second poem of the sequence of love poems on the moon. As the only remnant of the words "I will not forget," the speaker says, the moon of that night has come round again. Continuing from the preceding poem, it was submitted to the Poetry Contest in Fifteen Hundred Rounds.
The author, "Ariie, Lord of the Court," is Fujiwara no Ariie. A son of Fujiwara no Shigeie, he was one of the compilers of the Shinkokinshū. "Lord of the Court" is an honorific added to the names of those of the fifth rank and above.

The first line, "wasureji to," means "I will not forget," the lover's vow.
The second line, "iishi bakari no," means "only said." Using the same words as "iishi bakari ni" in Sosei's poem, the foundation of the preceding poem, it shows that the promise was words alone, without substance.
The third line, "nagori tote," means "as a remnant."
The fourth line, "sono yo no tsuki wa," means "the moon of that night when we exchanged vows."
In the last line, "megurikinikeri," "keri" marks realization: "the moon has come round again." It contrasts the person who does not come with the moon that faithfully returns, and like "the dawn moon like the night we met" in the preceding poem, it sings of the moon of a night of meeting.
Author
Fujiwara no Ariie
Source
Shin Kokin Wakashu
Prev Poem
Ima komu to chigirishi koto wa yume nagara mishi yo ni nitaru ariake no tsuki
Next Poem
Omoiidete yonayona tsuki ni tazunezu wa mate to chigirishi naka ya taenamu