Ika naran orifushi ni ka wa kuretake no yoru wa koishiki hito ni aimimu - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

いかならんをりふしにかは呉竹の
よるは恋しき人に逢ひ見む

Roma-ji: Ika naran orifushi ni ka wa kuretake no yoru wa koishiki hito ni aimimu
English Translation: On what occasion,
at what node of time will I,
like the bamboo's joints,
in the night meet with the one
that I long for and love so?
Meaning: On what occasion, I wonder, will I meet at night the one I long for, as bamboo meets its joints?
Commentary: Book Thirteen Love Poems III 805

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Topic unknown"
The poem asks on what occasion one might meet the beloved at night. Echoing the "node" of bamboo in "orifushi" and "yo," it strings together words associated with the bamboo like the preceding poem, singing of a heart longing for a time of meeting.

First line, "ika naran," means "of what kind." It is a question of the same form as the first line of the preceding poem, 804, "ika narishi," and where that poem asks about the past, this one asks about the future, forming a pair.
Second line, "orifushi ni ka wa," is a pivot word: "orifushi" means "occasion" and also the "node" of bamboo, with "ka wa" an interrogative binding particle.
Third line, "kuretake no," means "of the Chinese bamboo," leading to "yo." It shares "kuretake" with the second line of the preceding poem, 804.
Fourth line, "yoru wa koishiki," is a pivot word: "yoru" contains "night" and "yo," the node of bamboo.
Final line, "hito ni aimimu," means "shall I meet the one I love," concluding in the attributive form of the conjectural "mu" in answer to "ka wa."
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Shui Wakashu
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