Aki no yo o itazura ni nomi oki akasu tsuyu wa waga mi no ue ni zo arikeru - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

秋の夜をいたづらにのみおき明かす
露はわが身の上にぞありける

Roma-ji: Aki no yo o itazura ni nomi oki akasu tsuyu wa waga mi no ue ni zo arikeru
English Translation: The autumn night long,
in vain, and only in vain,
staying up till dawn—
the dew, so it turns out, lies
on my own self after all
Meaning: That dew which lies awake through the autumn night in vain until dawn—it turns out to be my own self.
Commentary: Book Six Autumn Poems II 290

Headnote: "Topic unknown."
The poet says that the dew which lies through the autumn night in vain until dawn turns out to be the poet's own self, staying up until dawn. One who passes the night sleepless is overlaid with dew that lies on the grass all night.
From 290 to 292, three poems stand together that overlay one who stays up all night with the dew.
The poet is listed as "anonymous," and the composer's name has not come down to us. The text gives the poet as "yomibito mo," which is treated here as "anonymous."

The first line, "Aki no yo o," means "through the long autumn night." 292 sets "aki no yo o" in its third line and 296 in its first, both singing of autumn nights passed without sleep.
The second line, "itazura ni nomi," means "only in vain."
In the third line, "oki" is a pivot word joining "oku," for dew to settle, and "oku," to stay awake. It is the same word as the first line of 283 in this book.
The fourth line, "tsuyu wa waga mi no," means "the dew is my own," overlaying the dew with the poet.
In the last line, "ue" layers one's lot in life and the surface of the leaf where dew lies. The particle "zo" with the attributive "keru" forms a kakarimusubi pattern: "it was my own lot after all."
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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