Kurushiku mo kureyuku hi kamo yoshinogawa kiyoki kawara o miredo akanaku ni

苦しくも暮れゆく日かも吉野川
清き川原を見れど飽かなくに

Roma-ji: Kurushiku mo kureyuku hi kamo yoshinogawa kiyoki kawara o miredo akanaku ni
English Translation: How painful it is—
the day that sinks into the dusk;
of the Yoshino River
the clear and shining riverbed
I gaze on, never tiring.
Meaning: How hard it is that the day is drawing to its close, when I could never tire of gazing at the clear riverbed of the Yoshino.
Commentary: Book Nine Miscellaneous Poems 1721

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Three poems by Gennin"
The speaker grieves that the day is ending though he could never tire of the clear riverbed of the Yoshino. Regret at the passing of time becomes praise of Yoshino's beauty.
This is the second of three poems by Gennin.
The author, Gennin, is otherwise unknown; some take the name to be that of a monk. According to the left note, this poem comes from the Hitomaro Collection.

The first line, "how painful it is," sets out the lament first.
The second line, "the day that sinks into the dusk," uses the exclamatory kamo, and the poem pauses here.
The third line, "of the Yoshino River," names the river before him.
The fourth line, "the clear and shining riverbed," describes its purity.
The final line, "I gaze on, never tiring," uses nakuni, a negative with concessive exclamation. Like "I never tire of gazing" in 1711, 1725, and 1736, it is a phrase of praise, giving the reason for the lament at the end in inversion.
Author: Gennin
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Uma namete uchimure koeki kyō mitsuru yoshino no kawa o itsu kaerimimu
Next Poem: Yoshinogawa kawanami takami taki no ura o mizu ka narinamu kōshikemaku ni