Ika ni shite shibashi wasuren inochi dani araba au yo no ari mo koso sure - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

いかにしてしばし忘れん命だに
あらば逢ふ夜のありもこそすれ

Roma-ji: Ika ni shite shibashi wasuren inochi dani araba au yo no ari mo koso sure
English Translation: How could I contrive
to forget, if but a while?
for if life remains,
a night when we two may meet
may yet come to pass for me.
Meaning: Somehow I would forget this love, if only for a while; for if I but stay alive, a night of meeting may yet come.
Commentary: Book Eleven Love Poems I 646

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Topic unknown"
The poem says that the poet wishes somehow to forget his love, if only for a while, so that its pain does not end his life, for if he but stays alive, a night of meeting may yet come. It expresses a heart that fears dying of love and clings to a slender hope in order to live on. Like "inochi wa kagiri aru mono o" in 642, it sings of life and love, and in seeking to keep alive to wait for a meeting, it also connects with "tanomuru ni dani noburu inochi" in 692.

First line, "ika ni shite," means "somehow," "by what means."
Second line, "shibashi wasuren," means "I would forget for a while," with "n" an auxiliary of intention. The poem breaks after this second line.
Third line, "inochi dani," means "if only life," with "dani" expressing a minimal condition.
Fourth line, "araba au yo no," means "if it remains, a night of meeting," with "ba" after the irrealis form expressing supposition.
Final line, "ari mo koso sure," means "may yet come," with "mo koso" expressing anticipation that it may happen, and the binding particle "koso" resolved by the perfective form "sure."
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Shui Wakashu
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