Sanekazura nochi mo awamu to ime nomi ni ukei watarite toshi wa he ni tsutsu

さね葛後も逢はむと夢のみに
うけひわたりて年は経につつ

Roma-ji: Sanekazura nochi mo awamu to ime nomi ni ukei watarite toshi wa he ni tsutsu
English Translation: Like the sane vine,
saying we shall meet again,
in my dreams alone
I keep praying on and on,
while the years go passing by
Meaning: Like the sane vine whose tendrils part and meet again, I pray on and on, in dreams alone, that we shall meet hereafter, while the years keep passing by.
Commentary: Book Eleven Love Poems Ancient and Modern I 2479

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Feelings through Things"
Hoping to meet again someday yet unable to in waking life, the speaker prays continually that they might meet at least in dreams, while the years slip away. The poem reveals how long the days of waiting have grown for one who still trusts in a future reunion.
This is one of the poems "Expressing Feelings through Things," a love poem set upon the sane vine. Its fifth line, "toshi wa he ni tsutsu," is identical to the fifth line of poem 2474 of this book, and the two share the lament of years passing without a meeting.
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, "sanekazura": a pillow word for "nochi mo au" (to meet again later), since the vine's tendrils part and then twine together again.
Second line, "nochi mo awamu to": "saying we shall meet again later." "Mu" is an auxiliary of intention expressing the wish for reunion.
Third line, "ime nomi ni": "in dreams alone." The restrictive particle "nomi" shows that they cannot meet in waking life.
Fourth line, "ukei watarite": "praying on and on." "Ukei" means to seek the will of the gods and pray or divine whether a thing will come to pass, and "wataru" expresses continuing over time.
Fifth line, "toshi wa he ni tsutsu": "while the years keep passing." Ending in "tsutsu" and leaving the sentence open, the line lets the sorrow of days of waiting linger on.
Author: Kakinomoto no Hitomaro Collection
Source: Manyoshu
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