Yūzukuyo sasu ya okabe no matsu no ha no itsu to mo wakanu koi mo suru kana - Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

夕月夜さすや岡辺の松の葉の
いつともわかぬ恋もするかな

Roma-ji: Yūzukuyo sasu ya okabe no matsu no ha no itsu to mo wakanu koi mo suru kana
English Translation: The evening moon
shines upon the hillside pines
whose needles never change
so I love without a season
without a single pause
Meaning: Like the needles of the pines on the hillside lit by the evening moon, which stay green in every season, I love without knowing any season or pause.
Commentary: Book Eleven Love Poems I 490

Headnote: "Topic unknown"
Taking as its preface the pine needles on a hill lit by the evening moon, this poem sings of a love that continues without any break in time. Just as evergreen pine needles do not change color with the seasons, the poet's love continues regardless of the hour. The scene of pines in the faint light of the evening moon symbolizes a quiet and unceasing love.

First line, "The evening moon": yuzukuyo is the moon visible in the evening, or a night when such a moon is out.
Second line, "shines upon the hillside pines": sasu means the moonlight falls, and ya is an exclamatory interjection.
Third line, "whose needles never change": the needles of the evergreen pine keep their color in every season, and lines one through three form a preface leading to "itsu to mo wakanu" in the fourth line.
Fourth line, "so I love without a season": itsu to mo wakanu means not distinguishing any time, overlaying the evergreen needles with a love that continues regardless of the hour.
Fifth line, "without a single pause": the same final line as poem 469 at the head of the book, and poem 498 of this book also closes with it.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Kokin Wakashu
Prev Poem: Suruga naru Tago no uranami tatanu hi wa aredomo kimi o koinu hi wa nashi
Next Poem: Ashihiki no yamashitamizu no kogakurete tagitsu kokoro o seki zo kanetsuru