Tanabata no toshi to wa iwaji ama no kawa kumo tachiwatari iza midarenan - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

織女の年とは言はじ天の河
雲立ちわたりいざ乱れなん

Roma-ji: Tanabata no toshi to wa iwaji ama no kawa kumo tachiwatari iza midarenan
English Translation: Like the Weaver Maid's,
once a year, I will not say—
the River of Heaven,
let the clouds rise over it,
come, let us lose ourselves
Meaning: I will not say "once a year," as the Weaver Maid must—let clouds spread over the River of Heaven, and come, let us give ourselves up to love.
Commentary: Book Five Autumn Poems I 246

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Composed on Tanabata."
The poet says he will not settle for "once a year" like the Weaver Maid; if clouds spread over the River of Heaven to hide them from view, come, let them give themselves up to love. Refusing to be content with a once-yearly meeting, it expresses a bold wish to meet as the heart desires, hidden among the clouds.
From 239 to 247, nine Tanabata poems stand under the headnote "Composed on Tanabata," taking up from many angles the meeting of the Weaver Maid and the Herdsman across the River of Heaven.
The poet is listed as "anonymous," and the composer's name has not come down to us.

The first line, "Tanabata no," means "like the Weaver Maid's."
In the second line, "ji" expresses negative intent: "I will not say once a year." The poem pauses here. Where "toshi no watari" in 234 of this book lamented the once-yearly meeting, this poem refuses it.
The third line, "ama no kawa," means "the River of Heaven," naming the place where the clouds of the fourth line spread.
The fourth line, "kumo tachiwatari," means "clouds spreading all across," setting the clouds as something to hide them from view.
In the last line, "iza" is a word of invitation, and "nan" combines intensification and intent: "come, let us lose ourselves." "Midare" layers clouds in disarray and a heart thrown into tumult.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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