Tsurezure no nagame ni masaru namidagawa sode nomi nurete au yoshi mo nashi - Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

つれづれのながめにまさる涙川
袖のみ濡れて逢ふよしもなし

Roma-ji: Tsurezure no nagame ni masaru namidagawa sode nomi nurete au yoshi mo nashi
English Translation: In idle brooding,
swelling like the long spring rains,
the river of tears
soaks only my sleeves, and I
have no means of meeting you
Meaning: As I brood in idleness, my tears swell like a river fed by long rains; they soak only my sleeves, and I have no way at all to meet you.
Commentary: Book Thirteen Love Poems III 617

Headnote: "Composed and sent to a woman who was serving in the household of Narihira Ason."
Just as long rains swell a river, the poet's tears overflow with longing, soaking his sleeves, yet he has no way to meet her. According to the headnote, it was a courting poem sent to a woman in Narihira's household. From nagame, "long rain" and "brooding," it strings together water images, "river of tears" and "soaked," exaggerating the pain of love.
The author, recorded as Toshiyuki Ason, is Fujiwara no Toshiyuki. He was the eldest son of Fujiwara no Fujimaro, and his mother was a daughter of Ki no Natora. He served as Head Chamberlain and Commander of the Right Military Guards, is counted among the Thirty-Six Poetic Immortals, and was also renowned as a calligrapher.
This exchange also appears in section 107 of The Tales of Ise, where Narihira composes the reply in the woman's place. Like Narihira's "spent the day in long rain's gaze" in the preceding poem, it uses nagame, so that the rain of brooding continues from the head of the book.

The first line, "tsurezure no," describes a heart with nothing to do and no relief, and leads to nagame.
The second line, "nagame ni masaru," uses nagame as a pivot word for "long rain" and "brooding," overlaying the rising water with deepening thought. It takes up the same word as the last line of the preceding poem.
The third line, "namidagawa," is a figure for tears flowing like a river and forms an associated-word chain with "swelling" and "soaks."
The fourth line, "sode nomi nurete," stresses with nomi that only the sleeves get wet and nothing else is gained.
The final line, "au yoshi mo nashi," states flatly that there is no way to meet, showing love at a dead end.
Author: Fujiwara no Toshiyuki
Source: Kokin Wakashu
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