Hisakata no ame ni wa kinu o ayashiku mo waga koromode no hiru toki mo naki - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

久方の雨には着ぬをあやしくも
我が衣手の干る時もなき

Roma-ji: Hisakata no ame ni wa kinu o ayashiku mo waga koromode no hiru toki mo naki
English Translation: Though I do not wear it
out in the rain that falls
from the far heavens,
strangely the sleeves of my robe
never have a time to dry.
Meaning: Though I do not wear it out in the rain, strangely enough, the sleeves of my robe never have a moment to dry.
Commentary: Book Eight Miscellaneous Poems I 476

Headnote: "Topic unknown"
The poet says that though he does not wear his robe in the rain, strangely his sleeves are never dry. By feigning puzzlement over why his sleeves are wet, he conveys the tears that flow without cease and the depth of the brooding that causes them. Taking up the robes of the two preceding poems, here he sings of sleeves wet with tears.
The author, written as Hitomaro, is Kakinomoto no Hitomaro. A court poet of the Asuka period, he is revered as the sage of poetry and the foremost poet of the Man'yōshū, and he is counted among the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets. The Shūishū includes many Man'yōshū poems under his name.
A poem of nearly the same sense also appears in Book Seven of the Man'yōshū.

First line, "hisakata no," is a pillow word introducing rain.
Second line, "ame ni wa kinu o," means "though I do not wear it in the rain," with "nu" the attributive form of the negative "zu" and "o" a concessive particle.
Third line, "ayashiku mo," means "strangely enough."
Fourth line, "waga koromode no," means "my sleeves."
Final line, "hiru toki mo naki," means "have no time to dry," ending in the attributive form to leave a lingering feeling. Without stating why they do not dry, it implies tears.
Author: Kakinomoto no Hitomaro
Source: Shui Wakashu
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