Toshitsuki wa aratarata ni aimiredo aga mou kimi wa akidaranu kamo

年月は新た新たに相見れど
我が思ふ君は飽き足らぬかも

Roma-ji: Toshitsuki wa aratarata ni aimiredo aga mou kimi wa akidaranu kamo
English Translation: Though months and the years
renew themselves again and
we meet each new time,
you, my lord whom I hold dear,
I never have enough of you
Meaning: Though we meet each time the months and years are made new, you, the lord I cherish, are one I can never see enough of.
Commentary: Book Twenty Miscellaneous Poems 4299

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "On the fourth day of the first month of year 6, clansmen gathered at the residence of the Junior Counselor Ōtomo no Yakamochi to offer congratulations and held a banquet; three poems."
Though we meet each time the year is renewed, you, the lord I cherish, are one I never tire of seeing: a poem praising the host, Yakamochi. Suited to a new year banquet, it doubles the word "new" for the turning of the year and states plainly the guest's affection for his host. This poem too carries a note saying it is uncertain whether it is old or new.
The author, Ōtomo no Murakami, was a member of the Ōtomo clan and at this time a junior secretary of the Ministry of Popular Affairs.

The first line, "toshitsuki wa," sets years and months as the topic, opening with the flow of time as though answering the preceding poem's close, "through the long cord of the years."
The second line, "aratarata ni," repeats the word to stress "each time they are renewed."
The third line, "aimiredo," is concessive, "though we meet," linking to the lower half.
The fourth line, "aga mou kimi wa," means "you whom I hold dear," referring to the host, Yakamochi.
The closing line, "akidaranu kamo," ends in the exclamatory kamo: however often we meet, I am never satisfied.
Author: Ōtomo no Murakami
Source: Manyoshu
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