Utsutsu ni mo hakanaki koto no ayashiki wa ne naku ni yume no miyuru narikeri - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

現にもはかなきことのあやしきは
寝なくに夢の見ゆるなりけり

Roma-ji: Utsutsu ni mo hakanaki koto no ayashiki wa ne naku ni yume no miyuru narikeri
English Translation: Even when awake,
of all fleeting things the strangest
is this, I find:
though I have not slept at all,
still I see you in a dream
Meaning: Even in waking life, the strangest of fleeting things is this: though I have not slept, a dream appears before my eyes.
Commentary: Book Nine Love Poems I 598

Headnote: "Sent to a man."
The poet says that the strangest of fleeting things in waking life is that, though she has not slept, a dream appears before her eyes. She likens the beloved's face rising before her in sleeplessness to a dream seen while awake.
According to the headnote, the poem was sent to a man. 509 in this book also likens seeing someone while not asleep to a dream.
The poet is listed as "anonymous," and the composer's name has not come down to us.

The first line, "Utsutsu ni mo," means "even in waking life."
The second line, "hakanaki koto no," means "of fleeting things."
The third line, "ayashiki wa," means "what is strange."
In the fourth line, "naku" is the ku-construction of the negative auxiliary "zu": "a dream, though I have not slept." It shares the conceit of "madoromanu," which opens 509 in this book.
The last line, "miyuru narikeri," means "is that it appears, I now see," with "narikeri" expressing realization.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
Prev Poem: Sumiyoshi no waga mi nariseba toshi fu tomo matsu yori hoka no iro o mimashi ya
Next Poem: Shiranami no yoruyoru kishi ni tachiyorite ne mo mishi mono o Sumiyoshi no matsu