Ozukuba no nero ni tsukutashi aidayo wa sawada narinu o mata netemu kamo

小筑波の嶺ろに月立し間夜は
さはだなりぬをまた寝てむかも

Roma-ji: Ozukuba no nero ni tsukutashi aidayo wa sawada narinu o mata netemu kamo
English Translation: On Little Tsukuba
the new moon has risen over the peak,
and the nights apart
have grown many in their count—
yet oh, to lie with you again.
Meaning: Since the new moon rose over Little Tsukuba's peak, the nights we have spent apart have piled up—oh, to sleep with you once more.
Commentary: Book Fourteen Azuma Poems 3395

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Sōmon (Love Exchanges)"
By the time a new moon rises over Tsukuba's peak, many nights apart have accumulated, yet the singer longs to lie with the beloved again. The cycle of the moon measures the long days without meeting, and the longing for reunion is plain.
It is one of the Hitachi poems and, following the preceding poem, sings of "Little Tsukuba."
The poet is unknown. The Azuma uta are thought to have been sung among the people of the eastern provinces, and they are marked by plain, open-hearted expression mixed with local dialect.

First line, "ozukuba no": After "Ozukubanero" in the preceding poem, the same mountain is again called by its pet name.
Second line, "nero ni tsukutashi": "Tsukutashi" means the moon has risen anew, marking the passing of a month.
Third line, "aidayo wa": "Aidayo" are the nights spent apart, fitted into a short line.
Fourth line, "sawada narinu o": "Sawada" is an eastern word for "many," also seen in the Kie poem, 3354. "O" is concessive.
Final line, "mata netemu kamo": "Temu" shows strong intention, and "kamo" is an exclamation full of longing.
Source: Manyoshu
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