Aratama no toshi wa hatsuredo shikitae no sode kaeshi ko o wasurete omoe ya

あらたまの年は果つれど敷栲の
袖交へし子を忘れて思へや

Roma-ji: Aratama no toshi wa hatsuredo shikitae no sode kaeshi ko o wasurete omoe ya
English Translation: Though the year, new-hewn
from raw gem, has reached its end,
the girl whose sleeves, spread
for our bed, I crossed with mine:
could I think of her, forgetting?
Meaning: The year has drawn to its close, yet could I ever think of the girl with whom I exchanged sleeves and forget her?
Commentary: Book Eleven Love Poems Ancient and Modern I 2410

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing One's Feelings Directly"
Though time has passed until the year is ending, the speaker vows, as it were, that he will never forget the girl with whom he slept, their sleeves crossed. Marking off a span of time with the year's end, he declares all the more firmly that his heart has not changed in the least.
The closing line "wasurete omoe ya" is the same as that of poem 2404 in this book, so poems ending with the same line are placed close together. While 2404 speaks of not forgetting "even for a single day," this poem speaks on the scale of a year with "though the year has ended," treating the same theme 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 "year."
Second line, "toshi wa hatsuredo": "though the year comes to an end." "Hatsuredo" is the realis form of "hatsu" followed by the concessive "do," leading into a feeling that does not change with time.
Third line, "shikitae no": a pillow word attached to "sleeve." "Shikitae" is cloth spread on a bed, a word that suggests sleeping together.
Fourth line, "sode kaeshi ko o": "the girl with whom I exchanged sleeves," that is, slept together. The "shi" is the attributive form of the past auxiliary "ki," recalling the night they shared.
Fifth line, "wasurete omoe ya": "could I think of her, forgetting? Never." The particle "ya" attached to the realis "omoe" makes a rhetorical question. It is the same closing line as poem 2404 in this book.
Author: Kakinomoto no Hitomaro Collection
Source: Manyoshu
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