Nubatama no sono ime ni dani mietsugu ya sode furu hi naku are wa kouru o

ぬばたまのその夢にだに見え継ぐや
袖干る日なく我れは恋ふるを

Roma-ji: Nubatama no sono ime ni dani mietsugu ya sode furu hi naku are wa kouru o
English Translation: In the jet-black night,
in those dreams at least,
will you keep appearing?
With never a day my sleeves are dry,
this is how I long for you
Meaning: Will you keep coming to me, at least in my dreams in the dark of night? My sleeves never have a day to dry, so much do I long for you.
Commentary: Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts Directly 2849

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts Directly"
The poet asks that the beloved keep appearing in dreams at least, since the poet's sleeves never dry from tears of longing. Taking up "ime ni dani" from the preceding poem, it continues the theme of relying on dreams.
Kakinomoto no Hitomaro was a court poet who served under Empress Jitō and Emperor Monmu. The left note shows that this poem was taken from the Kakinomoto no Hitomaro Collection, though scholars differ on whether it is Hitomaro's own work or a song he recorded.

Line one, "nubatama no," is a pillow word for night and black things, leading here to "ime," the dream seen at night.
Line two, "sono ime ni dani," means "at least in that dream."
Line three, "mietsugu ya," means "will you keep appearing?", with "ya" marking a question. The poem pauses after this third line.
Line four, "sode furu hi naku," means "with no day for my tear-soaked sleeves to dry," describing a love spent in weeping. In the kana line the verb for drying is read "furu."
Line five, "are wa kouru o": "o" is exclamatory with a concessive sense, "though I love you so," carrying resentment toward a lover who will not appear even in dreams.
Author: Kakinomoto no Hitomaro Collection
Source: Manyoshu
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