Tamoto yori otsuru namida wa Michinoku no Koromogawa to zo iu bekarikeru - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

袂より落つる涙はみちのくの
衣川とぞ言ふべかりける

Roma-ji: Tamoto yori otsuru namida wa Michinoku no Koromogawa to zo iu bekarikeru
English Translation: The tears that flow down
from my sleeves, I see, should be
called by the name
of Michinoku's river,
the River of Robes itself.
Meaning: The tears that fall from my sleeves deserve to be called the Koromo River, the River of Robes, of Michinoku.
Commentary: Book Twelve Love Poems II 762

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Topic unknown"
The poem says that the tears falling from the poet's sleeves deserve to be called the Koromo River of Michinoku. Seeing "koromo," robe, in the name of the poetic river of Michinoku, it exaggerates how abundantly tears pour from the sleeves of the robe like a river. Taking up the wet sleeves of the two preceding poems, it likens tears flowing from the sleeves to a river.

First line, "tamoto yori," means "from my sleeves."
Second line, "otsuru namida wa," means "the tears that fall."
Third line, "Michinoku no," means "of Michinoku Province."
Fourth line, "Koromogawa to zo," means "as the Koromo River," a poetic place in Michinoku, with "koromo," robe, an associated word for "tamoto," sleeve, in the first line. The binding particle "zo" is resolved by the attributive "keru" in the final line.
Final line, "iu bekarikeru," means "should have been called," with "bekari" expressing what is fitting and "keru" a sigh of realization.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Shui Wakashu
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