Ame naru ya tsukihi no gotoku aga omoeru kimi ga hi ni ke ni oyuraku oshi mo

天なるや月日のごとく我が思へる
君が日に異に老ゆらく惜しも

Roma-ji: Ame naru ya tsukihi no gotoku aga omoeru kimi ga hi ni ke ni oyuraku oshi mo
English Translation: Like the moon and sun
that dwell up in the heavens
I hold you dear—
that day by day you grow older
is a thing I cannot bear
Meaning: You whom I revere like the moon and sun in heaven—how it grieves me that you grow older day by day.
Commentary: Book Thirteen Miscellaneous Poems 3246

Headnote: "Envoy"
This is the envoy to the chōka (3245). It mourns that the one held as precious as the moon and sun grows older with each day. The chōka wishes for a bridge to heaven and a lofty mountain, to fetch the water of rejuvenation held by the moon god and offer it to the beloved so as to make him young again. The envoy returns to the reality that the wish cannot be fulfilled and closes on sorrow at aging. The next chōka, 3247, also ends “that you grow old is grievous,” so celebratory poems lamenting age stand side by side here.
The poet is unknown. Book Thirteen is built mainly of anonymous chōka and their envoys, and many of its poems preserve the air of old songs and ritual verse.

In the first line, “naru” is a contraction of “ni ari” (to be in), and “ya” an interjectory particle adding rhythm to “being in heaven.”
The second line, “tsukihi no gotoku,” means “like the moon and sun,” likening the beloved to something revered on high; it also takes up the chōka’s “Tsukuyomi,” the moon god.
The third line, “aga omoeru,” means “whom I hold dear,” with “ru” the attributive of the stative auxiliary “ri.”
In the fourth line, “hi ni ke ni” means “more each day,” describing age advancing daily.
In the closing line, “oyuraku” is a nominalized form meaning “growing old.” The adjective “oshi” (grievous) with the final “mo” closes on a sigh. It is the same line that ends the next poem, 3247.
Source: Manyoshu
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