Asu shiranu waga mi to omoedo kurenu ma no kyō wa hito koso kanashikarikere - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

明日知らぬ我が身と思へど暮れぬ間の
今日は人こそ悲しかりけれ

Roma-ji: Asu shiranu waga mi to omoedo kurenu ma no kyō wa hito koso kanashikarikere
English Translation: Though I know myself
to be one who may not see
tomorrow's light,
while today's light has not set,
it is for him that I grieve.
Meaning: Though I know I may not live to see tomorrow, for today, while the sun has not yet set, it is for him that I grieve.
Commentary: Book Twenty Lament Poems 1317

Headnote: "Composed when Ki no Tomonori died"
The poet says that though he knows he may not see tomorrow, while today has not yet ended it is the dead man he grieves for. The headnote shows it was composed when Ki no Tomonori died. Tomonori was Tsurayuki's cousin and a fellow compiler of the Kokinshū, but died before the anthology was finished. Though he himself may die at any time, for now, while alive, he simply grieves for his friend, and he sings frankly of both the law of impermanence and the feeling of grief.
The author, written as "Tsurayuki," is Ki no Tsurayuki, the leading compiler of the Kokinshū, who wrote its kana preface and the Tosa Diary. He is counted among the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets.
It is also included among the laments of the Kokinshū.

First line, "asu shiranu," means "not knowing tomorrow," not knowing whether one will be alive.
Second line, "waga mi to omoedo," means "though I think of myself so," with "do" a concessive particle.
Third line, "kurenu ma no," means "while it has not yet grown dark," the present in which he lives.
Fourth line, "kyō wa hito koso," means "today it is for him," setting "today" against "tomorrow" in the first line and "him" against "myself" in the second. The binding particle "koso" is resolved by the perfective "kere" in the final line.
Final line, "kanashikarikere," means "that I grieve," with "kere" the perfective form of the exclamatory "keri."
Author: Ki no Tsurayuki
Source: Shui Wakashu
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