Koitsutsu mo kyō wa aramedo tamakushige akenamu asu o ika ni kurasamu

恋ひつつも今日はあらめど玉櫛笥
明けなむ明日をいかに暮らさむ

Roma-ji: Koitsutsu mo kyō wa aramedo tamakushige akenamu asu o ika ni kurasamu
English Translation: Though I go on longing,
today I can get through,
but like a comb-box opened,
the morrow that will dawn,
how am I to live it through
Meaning: Pining as I am, I can somehow get through today, but how will I live through tomorrow when it dawns?
Commentary: Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts Directly 2884

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts Directly"
The poet can somehow get through today but wonders how to live through tomorrow, voicing anxiety over the endless days of love. Extending the time from today to tomorrow shows that love's suffering has no end.
The poet is unknown. Book Twelve, titled the second part of "Love Poems Exchanged Old and New," gathers love poems by people whose names have not come down to us, arranged by category.

Line one, "koitsutsu mo," means "even while longing."
Line two, "kyō wa aramedo," means "today I may get by, but."
Line three, "tamakushige," a beautiful box for combs, is a pillow word for "aku," to open or dawn, from the opening of the box.
Line four, "akenamu asu o," means "the tomorrow that will dawn."
Line five, "ika ni kurasamu," means "how shall I live it?", expressing anxiety about a suffering that goes on beyond today.
Author: Unknown
Source: Manyoshu
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