Awamu hi o sono hi to shirazu tokoyami ni izure no hi made are koioramu

逢はむ日をその日と知らず常闇に
いづれの日まで我れ恋ひ居らむ

Roma-ji: Awamu hi o sono hi to shirazu tokoyami ni izure no hi made are koioramu
English Translation: The day we shall meet
I cannot say which day it is;
in unending dark
until what day, I wonder,
shall I go on longing
Meaning: Not knowing which day we shall meet, until what day must I go on longing, as if in a darkness that never ends?
Commentary: Book Fifteen Exchange Poems of Nakatomi no Yakamori and Sano no Otogami no Otome 3742

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Poems exchanged between Nakatomi no Ason Yakamori and Sano no Otogami no Otome"
He laments not knowing when they will meet, wondering how long he must go on longing, as though in darkness that never ends. Where the preceding poems voiced hope of reunion, here the anxiety of a reunion day that cannot be seen is expressed by the word "tokoyami" (eternal darkness). From the arrangement of the poems one senses the heart of an exile swaying between hope and despair.
The author, Nakatomi no Yakamori, was a son of Nakatomi no Azumahito, from the Nakatomi clan in charge of the rites of the gods. He was exiled to Echizen Province for an offense, but was later pardoned and returned to the capital.
A left note reads "the above fourteen poems are by Nakatomi no Ason Yakamori"; the fourteen poems from 3731 to 3744 of this book were sent by Yakamori to the young woman from his place of exile. The latter half of this book contains sixty-three poems exchanged between Nakatomi no Yakamori and Sano no Otogami no Otome. According to the book's table of contents, when Yakamori took as his wife the young woman, a lady-in-waiting of the palace storehouse office, he was exiled to Echizen Province by imperial decree. The place of exile is thought to be Ajimano in Echizen, near present-day Echizen City, Fukui Prefecture.

First line, "awamu hi o": the day when we shall meet.
Second line, "sono hi to shirazu": not knowing which day it is.
Third line, "tokoyami ni": "tokoyami" is eternal darkness, expressing a situation with no future in sight.
Fourth line, "izure no hi made": until what day.
Fifth line, "are koioramu": "mu" is conjecture: shall I go on longing, the poem ends.
Author: Nakatomi no Yakamori
Source: Manyoshu
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