Utsutsu ni wa au yoshi mo nashi ime ni dani manaku mie kimi koi ni shinubeshi

うつつには逢ふよしもなし夢にだに
間なく見え君恋ひに死ぬべし

Roma-ji: Utsutsu ni wa au yoshi mo nashi ime ni dani manaku mie kimi koi ni shinubeshi
English Translation: In waking life there
is no way for us to meet:
in dreams at the least
show yourself to me always, love,
or I shall die of longing
Meaning: In waking life there is no way for us to meet. At least in dreams, appear to me without cease, my love, or I shall die of longing.
Commentary: Book Eleven Love Poems Ancient and Modern I 2544

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing One's Feelings Directly"
Since there is no way to meet in waking life, the speaker begs the beloved to appear constantly at least in dreams, for otherwise love will bring death: so runs this love poem. Contrasting waking and dreaming, it states frankly, in the form of a direct appeal, the anguish of a love that can rely only on dreams.
The author is unknown. The anonymous poems of Book Eleven gather love poems by people whose names have not come down to us.

First line, "utsutsu ni wa": "in waking reality." The particle "wa" sets it in contrast with "dreams" in the third line.
Second line, "au yoshi mo nashi": "there is no means of meeting." "Yoshi" means means or way, and the poem pauses here.
Third line, "ime ni dani": "at least in dreams." "Dani" is an adverbial particle expressing a minimal wish.
Fourth line, "manaku mie kimi": "appear without pause, my love." "Mie" is an old imperative form of "miyu," and the following "kimi" calls out to the beloved.
Fifth line, "koi ni shinubeshi": "I shall surely die of love." "Beshi" is an auxiliary of conjecture, voicing the utmost pain of love.
Source: Manyoshu
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