Tsuki kasane aga omou imo ni aeru yo wa ima shi nanayo o tsugikosenu ka mo

月重ね我が思ふ妹に逢へる夜は
今し七夜を継ぎこせぬかも

Roma-ji: Tsuki kasane aga omou imo ni aeru yo wa ima shi nanayo o tsugikosenu ka mo
English Translation: Months upon months long
I have thought of my dear wife,
this night that we meet—
now, if only seven nights
could follow on, one on one!
Meaning: On this night when I meet my wife, whom I have longed for month after month, if only now it could go on for seven nights!
Commentary: Book Ten Autumn Miscellaneous Poems 2057

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Tanabata"
This poem, in the Herdsman's voice, wishes that tonight, when he finally meets the wife he has longed for month after month, could continue for seven nights. Cherishing a meeting of only one night and wishing to stretch it sevenfold, it shows how great the joy of meeting is. The word "nanayo," seven nights, echoes the "seventh day" of "only on the night of the seventh" in 2032.

The first line, "tsuki kasane," means month upon month.
The second line, "my wife whom I love," names the beloved.
The third line, "the night I met her," is hypermetric.
In the fourth line, "ima shi nanayo o," "shi" is emphatic: seven nights.
In the last line, "tsugikosenu ka mo," "kose" is the irrealis of the wishing auxiliary "kosu," and "nu ka mo" is a negative question expressing a wish.
Source: Manyoshu
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