Kuru koto wa tsune narazu tomo tamakazura tanomi wa taeji to omou kokoro ari - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

くる事は常ならずとも玉鬘
頼みは絶えじと思ふ心あり

Roma-ji: Kuru koto wa tsune narazu tomo tamakazura tanomi wa taeji to omou kokoro ari
English Translation: Though my coming here
may not be constant, like the
trailing jewel vine,
my trust in you will not break—
this is the heart I hold
Meaning: Though I may not come to you constantly, like the long-trailing jewel vine, I have a heart that holds my trust in you will never break.
Commentary: Book Fourteen Love Poems VI 1001

Headnote: "Composed when a man came calling and did nothing but play at love, and she wondered how others would look on it."
The poet says that though the visits may not be constant, there is a heart that holds the trust will never break. Though the visits come in fits like a vine being drawn in, the poet vows that the reliance on the other will stretch on unbroken.
According to the headnote, a man came calling and did nothing but play at love, and it was composed when she wondered how others would see it; the reply is placed in the next poem, 1002. Following the threads of the preceding exchange, this poem speaks of breaking off through the trailing vine.
The poet is listed as anonymous, and the composer's name has not come down to us.

The first line, "Kuru koto wa," means "my coming," with "kuru" joining "to come" and "to draw in" a vine, an associated word with "tamakazura" in the third line.
The second line, "tsune narazu tomo," means "even if it is not constant," with "tomo" marking an adversative supposition.
The third line, "tamakazura," is an honorific name for trailing vines and a pillow word for "tayu," to break, since the vines stretch long. It also opens the next poem.
The fourth line, "tanomi wa taeji to," means "that my trust will not break," with "ji" a negative auxiliary of conjecture. It runs over to eight syllables.
The last line, "omou kokoro ari," means "I have a heart that thinks so," closing with a statement of unchanging sincerity.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
Prev Poem: Hetsuru yori usuku narinishi shizuhata no ito wa taete mo kai ya nakaran
Next Poem: Tamakazura tanomekuru hi no kazu wa aredo taedae nite wa kai nakarikeri