Aki fukami koi suru hito no akashikane yo o Nagatsuki to iu ni ya aru ran - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

秋深み恋する人の明かしかね
夜を長月と言ふにやあるらん

Roma-ji: Aki fukami koi suru hito no akashikane yo o Nagatsuki to iu ni ya aru ran
English Translation: Autumn grows so deep
that the one who is in love
cannot see night through;
is it then for the long nights
they named it the "Long Month," perhaps?
Meaning: Autumn grows deep, and those in love cannot bring the night to its end; perhaps that is why, the nights being long, it is called the "Long Month."
Commentary: Book Nine Miscellaneous Poems II 523

Headnote: "In answer"
The poet answers that as autumn deepens, the nights grow so long that those in love cannot see them through, and perhaps that is why it is called the Long Month. Responding to Korehira's question in the preceding poem, 522, he seeks the origin of the name not in the number of days but in the length of night as felt by one in love. Turning a question of reason toward the feelings of love, the answer closes the exchange between Korehira, Mitsune and Tadamine that began with 513.
The author, written as "Mitsune," is Ōshikōchi no Mitsune. One of the compilers of the Kokinshū, he is counted among the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets.

First line, "aki fukami," means "since autumn is deep," with "mi" a suffix expressing cause or reason.
Second line, "koi suru hito no," means "those who are in love," turning the question about days toward the feelings of love.
Third line, "akashikane," means "unable to see the night through." The word "akashi" shares its sound with "akashi" in the final line of the earlier question, 518, and the two resonate within the exchange.
Fourth line, "yo o Nagatsuki to," means "the Long Month, for the night is long," laying "yo o naga" over "Nagatsuki" to explain the name. It shares the pairing of night and love with the second line of 521, two poems earlier, "yoru wa koishiki."
Final line, "iu ni ya aru ran," means "is that why they say it," with the binding particle "ya" resolved by the attributive form of the conjectural auxiliary "ran."
Author: Oshikochi no Mitsune
Source: Shui Wakashu
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