Yukiyaranu yumeji ni madou tamoto ni wa amatsu sora naki tsuyu zo okikeru - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

行きやらぬ夢路にまどふたもとには
天つ空なき露ぞ置きける

Roma-ji: Yukiyaranu yumeji ni madou tamoto ni wa amatsu sora naki tsuyu zo okikeru
English Translation: On sleeves that wander
along the path of dreams
that never reaches you,
there settles dew that never fell
from the heavens above
Meaning: On the sleeves of one who wanders lost along a dream path that never reaches you, there settles a dew that did not come from the sky.
Commentary: Book Nine Love Poems I 559

Headnote: "Topic unknown."
The poet says that on the sleeves of one who wanders lost on a dream path that never reaches the beloved, there settles a dew that did not come from the sky. The tears shed at not meeting even in dreams are likened to dew that did not fall from heaven.
Like 538 in this book, it laments a love that cannot meet even in dreams.
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, "Yukiyaranu," means "never reaching the end."
The second line, "yumeji ni madou," means "lost on the path of dreams that leads to the beloved."
The third line, "tamoto ni wa," means "on the sleeves."
The fourth line, "amatsu sora naki," means "not from the sky," drawing on the belief that dew falls from heaven.
The last line, "tsuyu zo okikeru," means "dew has settled," the dew a figure for tears. The particle "zo" and the attributive "keru" form a kakarimusubi pattern.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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