Mubatama no yami no utsutsu wa sadaka naru yume ni ikura mo masarazarikeri - Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

むばたまの闇のうつつはさだかなる
夢にいくらもまさらざりけり

Roma-ji: Mubatama no yami no utsutsu wa sadaka naru yume ni ikura mo masarazarikeri
English Translation: In the jet-black night,
the waking truth of darkness
was no better, it seems,
than a dream that I saw clearly,
not even by a little
Meaning: Our real meeting in the pitch-black darkness turned out to be no better than a dream seen clearly, not even by the slightest bit.
Commentary: Book Thirteen Love Poems III 647

Headnote: "Topic unknown."
The meeting that actually took place in the dark, the poet says, was hardly better than a clearly seen dream. Reversing the usual certainty of reality and uncertainty of dreams, it captures a love that remains unsatisfied even after meeting.
The author is recorded as anonymous, and the name has not come down to us.
Following "dream or waking" and "whether dream or waking" in the two preceding poems, it continues the series comparing dream and reality.
The first line of the text reads mubatama no, which does not match ubatama no in the kana reading line; here the text is followed.

The first line, "mubatama no," is a pillow word for "darkness," also found as nubatama no and ubatama no.
The second line, "yami no utsutsu wa," means "the reality in darkness," that is, a real meeting in the dark.
The third line, "sadaka naru," means "clear," modifying "dream" and contrasting with "darkness."
The fourth line, "yume ni ikura mo," means "compared with a dream, by any amount," which with the negative becomes "not at all."
The final line, "masarazarikeri," means "it was no better," closing with the exclamatory keri of realization.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Kokin Wakashu
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