Natsu no yo wa au na nomi shite shikitae no chiri harau ma ni ake zo shinikeru - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

夏の夜は逢ふ名のみして敷妙の
塵払ふ間に明けぞしにける

Roma-ji: Natsu no yo wa au na nomi shite shikitae no chiri harau ma ni ake zo shinikeru
English Translation: On a summer night
only the name of meeting,
for as I swept the dust
from the bedding we would share,
the dawn had already come
Meaning: On a summer night there is only the name of having met—for while I was sweeping the dust from the bedding, the dawn came.
Commentary: Book Four Summer Poems 169

Headnote: "Topic unknown."
The summer night is so short that only the rumor of a meeting remains, and dawn came while he was still brushing the dust from the bedding. The poet lays the vexing brevity of the summer night over the transience of a love with no time to fulfill its vows.
The poet, Fujiwara no Takatsune, was a son of Fujiwara no Nagara and a younger brother of Fujiwara no Mototsune. He served as Commander of the Right Military Guards, among other posts.

The first line, "Natsu no yo wa," presents the short summer night. 170 and 171 of this book also sing of summer nights, continuing a run of poems on the fleetingness of love on short nights.
The second line, "au na nomi shite," means "only the name of having met arises," showing that there was in fact no time to be together.
The third line, "shikitae no," is a pillow word modifying bedding or pillows, here pointing to the bed.
The fourth line, "chiri harau ma ni," means "while sweeping the dust from the bed," the brief moment of preparing to lie together.
The last line, "ake zo shinikeru," means "dawn has come," with the particle "zo" forming a kakarimusubi pattern with the attributive "keru." It laments the summer night's brevity through exaggeration.
Author: Fujiwara no Takatsune
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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