Nubatama no kono yo na ake so akarahiku asa yuku kimi o mataba kurushi mo

ぬばたまのこの夜な明けそ赤らひく
朝行く君を待たば苦しも

Roma-ji: Nubatama no kono yo na ake so akarahiku asa yuku kimi o mataba kurushi mo
English Translation: O this jet-black night,
do not ever come to dawn;
in the reddening morning
to wait for you as you leave
would be so painful to me
Meaning: O night, black as the jewel-seed, do not break into dawn; for when you leave in the reddening morning, the waiting would be painful to bear.
Commentary: Book Eleven Love Poems Ancient and Modern I 2389

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing One's Feelings Directly"
Once dawn comes her lover will leave, and she will again be the one who waits; because that is so painful, a woman prays that this night will never end. The poem plainly expresses the sorrow of parting at daybreak after a night spent together.
By using two pillow words, "nubatama no" and "akarahiku," it sets the black of night against the red of morning in terms of color as well. "Akarahiku" also appears in poem 2399 of this book as "akarahiku hada," where it modifies "skin."
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, "nubatama no": a pillow word attached to "night." Nubatama is said to be the black seed of the blackberry lily, and its darkness calls up night or black hair.
Second line, "kono yo na ake so": "this night, do not dawn." The construction "na ... so" expresses prohibition and carries an earnest wish that the night not end. The poem breaks after the second line.
Third line, "akarahiku": a pillow word attached to "morning," meaning glowing with red; it pairs in color with the black of "nubatama no."
Fourth line, "asa yuku kimi o": "you who leave in the morning," reflecting the custom of the time in which a man visited at night and departed at dawn.
Fifth line, "mataba kurushi mo": "if I must wait, it is painful." "Mataba" is the irrealis form with "ba," a hypothetical condition, and the final particle "mo" closes the poem with deep feeling.
Author: Kakinomoto no Hitomaro Collection
Source: Manyoshu
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