Miyako nite mishi ni kawaranu tsukikage o nagusame ni te mo akasu koro kana - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

都にて見しに変はらぬ月影を
慰めにても明かすころかな

Roma-ji: Miyako nite mishi ni kawaranu tsukikage o nagusame ni te mo akasu koro kana
English Translation: Just as in the capital
I once saw it, unchanged still,
this same light of the moon,
even only for comfort,
I pass the nights these days.
Meaning: These days I pass the nights taking what comfort I can in moonlight no different from what I once saw in the capital.
Commentary: Book Thirteen Love Poems III 790

Headnote: "On a night of bright moonlight on the road, having gone far away leaving a beloved in the capital"
The poem says that these days one spends the nights taking comfort in moonlight no different from that seen in the capital. The headnote shows it was composed on a bright moonlit night while traveling to a distant place, having left a beloved in the capital. By seeing the same moon as in the capital, it seeks to feel a bond with the far-off beloved.

First line, "miyako nite," means "in the capital." It shares the word "miyako" with the fourth line of 792, "miyako ni tare o."
Second line, "mishi ni kawaranu," means "unchanged from what I saw," with "shi" the attributive form of the past auxiliary "ki."
Third line, "tsukikage o," means "the moonlight."
Fourth line, "nagusame ni te mo," means "if only as a comfort."
Final line, "akasu koro kana," means "these days I pass the night," with "kana" exclamatory.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Shui Wakashu
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