Nagusamete koyoi wa nenamu asu yori wa koi kamo yukamu koyu wakarenaba

慰めて今夜は寝なむ明日よりは
恋ひかも行かむこゆ別れなば

Roma-ji: Nagusamete koyoi wa nenamu asu yori wa koi kamo yukamu koyu wakarenaba
English Translation: Consoling my heart,
tonight at least I'll sleep in peace;
from tomorrow on
shall I go on my way in longing,
once we part from here?
Meaning: Tonight I will comfort my heart and sleep. From tomorrow, once we part from here, must I travel on in longing?
Commentary: Book Nine Miscellaneous Poems 1728

Headnote: "A poem by Lord Ishikawa"
The speaker resolves to comfort himself and sleep tonight, for once they part here he will travel on in longing from tomorrow. The poem carries the lingering regret of a night before parting.
Placed right after the exchange with the fisher girl of Naniwa in 1726 and 1727, it can be read as a poem of parting from someone met on the journey.
Who "Lord Ishikawa" refers to is not settled. Kyō is a respectful title for a high-ranking noble, and he has been identified by some with Ishikawa no Toshitari or Ishikawa no Miyamaro.

The first line, "consoling my heart," introduces the speaker's effort to calm himself.
The second line, "tonight at least I'll sleep in peace," uses the intensive na and the volitional mu, and the poem pauses here.
The third line, "from tomorrow on," is set against "tonight."
The fourth line, "shall I go on my way in longing," forms a kakari-musubi of kamo with mu.
The final line, "once we part from here?" uses koyu, "from here," placing the condition at the end in inversion.
Author: Lord Ishikawa
Source: Manyoshu
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