Kai mo naki kusa no makura ni oku tsuyu no nani ni kienade ochitomariken - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

かひもなき草の枕に置く露の
何に消えなで落ちとまりけん

Roma-ji: Kai mo naki kusa no makura ni oku tsuyu no nani ni kienade ochitomariken
English Translation: Upon a grass pillow,
a pillow of no account,
the dew that lay there—
why did it not fade away,
but fall and linger on
Meaning: On a worthless pillow of grass the dew was laid—why did it not simply vanish, but fall and linger there instead?
Commentary: Book Eighteen Miscellaneous Poems IV 1285

Headnote: "Reply."
The priest asks why the dew laid on a worthless pillow of grass did not vanish but fell and lingered. Taking up the preceding poem's likening of the beads to dew, he is embarrassed that dew from his humble doze remained behind, and thanks his host for returning it.
It is the priest's reply to Minamoto no Hitoshi's preceding poem.
The poet is given only as "a certain priest," and his name is not known.

The first line, "Kai mo naki," means "of no account, worthless."
The second line, "kusa no makura ni," means "on a pillow of grass," a traveler's makeshift pillow, taking up "the bed of a doze" in the preceding poem.
The third line, "oku tsuyu no," means "the dew laid there," taking up "okikeru" and "tsuyu" in the preceding poem.
The fourth line, "nani ni kienade," means "why, without vanishing."
The last line, "ochitomariken," means "did it fall and linger," with "ken" a conjecture about the cause in the past.
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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