Wagimoko ni koi subenagari ime ni mimu to ware wa omoedo inerae naku ni

我妹子に恋ひすべながり夢に見むと
我れは思へど寐ねらえなくに

Roma-ji: Wagimoko ni koi subenagari ime ni mimu to ware wa omoedo inerae naku ni
English Translation: For my darling girl
I long beyond all remedy;
in dreams I'd see her,
so I think, and yet I find
that sleep will not come to me
Meaning: Longing for my beloved, I am at a loss; I think that at least in dreams I will see her, yet I cannot fall asleep.
Commentary: Book Eleven Love Poems Ancient and Modern I 2412

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing One's Feelings Directly"
Helpless with longing, the speaker thinks to meet his beloved at least in a dream, yet that very longing keeps him from sleeping. Even the consolation of meeting in dreams, the solace of ancient lovers who could not meet in reality, is denied him, and the poem states plainly the depth of love's pain.
In the Man'yoshu, seeing a lover in a dream is often sung of as a great comfort in love. Poem 2418 in this book likewise wishes to "see her at least in a dream," so poems about dreams are placed close together.
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, "wagimoko ni": "for my dear girl." "Wagimoko" is a term of endearment used by a man for his lover or wife, and "ni" marks the object of longing.
Second line, "koi subenagari": "longing and at a loss." "Subenagaru" is a verb meaning to feel that there is nothing one can do.
Third line, "ime ni mimu to": "thinking to see her in a dream." The line is hypermetric with six syllables, and the auxiliary "mu" expresses intention.
Fourth line, "ware wa omoedo": "so I think, but." The concessive "do" turns toward the unfulfilled wish of the last line.
Fifth line, "inerae naku ni": "yet I cannot sleep." It joins "inu" (to sleep) with the potential auxiliary "rayu," the nominalized negative "naku," and "ni," closing with a sigh.
Author: Kakinomoto no Hitomaro Collection
Source: Manyoshu
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