Masokagami kiyoki tsukuyo no yutsurinaba omoi wa yamazu koi koso masame

まそ鏡清き月夜のゆつりなば
思ひはやまず恋こそまさめ

Roma-ji: Masokagami kiyoki tsukuyo no yutsurinaba omoi wa yamazu koi koso masame
English Translation: Like a polished mirror
the clear moon of the night sky:
should it move away
my thoughts would never cease
but my love would only grow
Meaning: If the moon of this clear night, bright as a polished mirror, should move on and set, my longing would not cease, and my love would only grow stronger.
Commentary: Book Eleven Love Poems Ancient and Modern I 2670

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Feelings through Things"
For now the speaker finds comfort in gazing at the clear moon, but should it move on and set, longing would not cease and love would only grow. The moon is both a solace in love and a reminder of the beloved.
This is one of the poems on the moon. It shares "kiyoki tsukuyo" with the preceding poem, 2669, and its third line "yutsurinaba" recurs in poem 2673. Both poems treat the same idea of love deepening after the moon has gone, in different words.
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, "masokagami": "a well-polished mirror," here a pillow word attached to "clear." The image of a bright mirror heightens the purity of the moon.
Second line, "kiyoki tsukuyo no": "the moon of the clear night." The particle "no" marks the subject.
Third line, "yutsurinaba": "if it should move away." "Yutsuru" is an older form of "utsuru," and the perfective "nu" in its irrealis form with "ba" forms a supposition.
Fourth line, "omoi wa yamazu": "my thoughts would not cease." Even when the moon sets, the brooding does not end.
Fifth line, "koi koso masame": "my love would surely grow." The particle "koso" is answered by "me," the realis form of "mu," in a kakarimusubi that stresses the certainty of love's deepening.
Source: Manyoshu
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