Au to dani katami ni miyuru mono naraba wasururu hodo mo aramashi mono o - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

逢ふとだにかたみに見ゆるものならば
忘るるほどもあらましものを

Roma-ji: Au to dani katami ni miyuru mono naraba wasururu hodo mo aramashi mono o
English Translation: If only meeting
could be seen as a keepsake
by each of us,
then there might be some respite
in which I could forget
Meaning: If even our meeting could be seen by each of us as a keepsake, there might be a moment when I could forget—but there is not.
Commentary: Book Twelve Love Poems IV 822

Headnote: "Topic unknown."
The poet says that if even meeting could be seen by each of them, there might be time to forget. A love in which they cannot meet leaves not even a keepsake, and so, the poet laments, it can never be forgotten.
Like "wasuregatami ni" in the last line of 820 in this book, it uses the word "katami."
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," indicating that the poem is anonymous.

The first line, "Au to dani," means "if only meeting," with "dani" expressing a minimal hope.
The second line, "katami ni miyuru," means "seen by each other," with "katami ni" echoing "katami," a keepsake. It uses the same sound as "wasuregatami" in 820.
The third line, "mono naraba," means "if it were so," expressing a supposition.
The fourth line, "wasururu hodo mo," means "a time to forget."
The last line, "aramashi mono o," means "there would be, and yet," with "mashi" counterfactual and "mono o" leaving an adversative resonance.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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