Aratama no itsutose furedo aga koi no ato naki koi no yamanaku ayashi

あらたまの五年経れど我が恋の
跡なき恋のやまなくあやし

Roma-ji: Aratama no itsutose furedo aga koi no ato naki koi no yamanaku ayashi
English Translation: Through new-jeweled years,
five full years have passed, and yet
this love of mine,
a love that leaves no trace behind,
never ceases: how strange
Meaning: Five years have passed, yet this love of mine, a love that leaves no trace, never ceases. How strange it is.
Commentary: Book Eleven Love Poems Ancient and Modern I 2385

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing One's Feelings Directly"
Though five years have gone by, a love that bears no fruit and leaves no trace still does not cease, and the speaker finds it strange. By wondering at the persistence of an unrequited love, the poem shows how deep-rooted the feeling is.
The headnote continues from the preceding poem, "Expressing One's Feelings Directly." Whereas poem 2381 sang of two nights that felt like a thousand years, this poem names an actual span of five years to speak of love's length, taking the time of love on a different scale.
The author is unknown; according to the left note, the poem comes from the Kakinomoto no Hitomaro Collection. That collection is thought to contain both Hitomaro's own poems and poems by others that he recorded. Kakinomoto no Hitomaro was a court poet active in the reigns of Empress Jito and Emperor Monmu, and is counted among the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets.

First line, "aratama no": a pillow word attached to "toshi," year; here it modifies the "year" in "itsutose," five years, in the second line.
Second line, "itsutose furedo": "though five years have passed." "Fure" is the realis form of the verb "fu," to pass, with the concessive "do."
Third line, "aga koi no": "of my love." "Koi no" is repeated in the fourth line, and the repetition shows the depth of feeling.
Fourth line, "ato naki koi no": "a love that leaves no trace." "Ato naki" means leaving no trace or result, marking a love that bears no fruit.
Fifth line, "yamanaku ayashi": "how strange that it does not cease." "Yamanaku" is the nominalized negative "zu," meaning "its not ceasing," and the poem ends firmly on "ayashi," strange.
Author: Kakinomoto no Hitomaro Collection
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Waga seko wa sakiku imasu to kaeri ku to are ni tsugekomu hito mo konu kamo
Next Poem: Iwao sura yuki tōru beki masurao mo koi to iu koto wa nochi kuinikeri