Tsukikage wa akazu miru tomo sarashina no yama no fumoto ni nagai su na kimi - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

月影は飽かず見るとも更級の
山の麓に長居すな君

Roma-ji: Tsukikage wa akazu miru tomo sarashina no yama no fumoto ni nagai su na kimi
English Translation: Though you never tire
of gazing at the moonlight,
at Sarashina,
at the foot of that mountain,
do not linger long, my friend.
Meaning: Though you may never tire of gazing at the moonlight, do not linger long at the foot of the mountain of Sarashina, my friend.
Commentary: Book Six Parting Poems 319

Headnote: "Sent to a person who had gone down to the province of Shinano"
The poet urges his friend not to linger at the foot of the mountain of Sarashina and to come back soon, however endlessly lovely its moon may be. Bringing up Sarashina, famed for its moon, he wraps in affectionate teasing his worry that the friend may be captivated by his post and slow to return, and his wish for a speedy homecoming. According to the headnote, it was sent to a person who had gone down to the province of Shinano.
The author, written as Tsurayuki, is Ki no Tsurayuki. The leading compiler of the Kokinshū, he wrote its Kana Preface and the Tosa Diary, and he is counted among the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets.
Since the miscellaneous poem of the Kokinshū, "Waga kokoro nagusamekanetsu sarashina ya obasuteyama ni teru tsuki o mite," the mountains of Sarashina have been sung of as a famed place for the moon and linked with the legend of Obasute.

First line, "tsukikage wa," means "the moonlight." In 340 of this book the traveler on the eastern road longs for the moon of the capital, and in 347 the moon follows the traveler across the sky, so the moon recurs through the book as a scene of journeys and partings.
Second line, "akazu miru tomo," means "though you never tire of gazing," with "tomo" expressing a concessive supposition.
Third line, "sarashina no," is Sarashina in Shinano, a famed place known for the moon over Mount Obasute.
Fourth line, "yama no fumoto ni," means "at the foot of the mountain."
Final line, "nagai su na kimi," means "do not stay long, my friend," with "na" a prohibitive particle. Calling out "kimi" at the end adds warmth.
Author: Ki no Tsurayuki
Source: Shui Wakashu
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