Tamakazura taenu mono kara aratama no toshi no watari wa tada hitoyo nomi - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

玉かづら絶えぬものからあらたまの
年の渡りはただ一夜のみ

Roma-ji: Tamakazura taenu mono kara aratama no toshi no watari wa tada hitoyo nomi
English Translation: Like a jeweled vine,
our bond will never break, and yet
of the new-jewel year
the crossing of the river
comes for just a single night
Meaning: Though our bond, like a jeweled vine, never breaks, the crossing that comes once a year lasts only a single night.
Commentary: Book Five Autumn Poems I 234

Headnote: "Topic unknown."
The poet says that though the bond between the Weaver Maid and the Herdsman never breaks, the crossing that comes once a year lasts only one night. In the contrast between a bond that lasts forever and a meeting of a single night, it conveys the poignancy of the Tanabata love.
The poet is listed as "anonymous," and the composer's name has not come down to us.

The first line, "Tamakazura," is a pillow word that, because vines grow long, attaches to words such as "tayu," to break off.
In the second line, "mono kara" is an adversative conjunctive particle: "though it never breaks." Where "taenu wakare" in 226 of this book lamented a parting that never ceases, this poem sings of a bond that never breaks.
The third line, "aratama no," is a pillow word attached to "toshi," year.
The fourth line, "toshi no watari wa," means "the yearly crossing," the crossing of the River of Heaven on the night of Tanabata. 236 of this book also weaves in "toshi no watari."
The last line, "tada hitoyo nomi," means "only a single night," ending on a noun so that the poignancy of the brief meeting lingers.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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