Kuretake no waga yo wa koto ni narinu tomo ne wa taesezu mo nakarubeki kana - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

呉竹の我がよは異になりぬとも
ねは絶えせずもなかるべきかな

Roma-ji: Kuretake no waga yo wa koto ni narinu tomo ne wa taesezu mo nakarubeki kana
English Translation: Like the joints of bamboo,
though my world and yours become
separate in the end,
like its roots, my cries of grief
shall never cease to sound.
Meaning: Though my life, like a joint of bamboo, will come to be apart from yours, my weeping, like its roots, will never cease.
Commentary: Book Twenty Lament Poems 1323

Headnote: "When Retired Emperor Suzaku was near his death and looked upon the Grand Empress Dowager, who was then a small child"
The emperor says that though his world will become separate from hers, his weeping will never cease. The headnote shows it was composed when Retired Emperor Suzaku, near his death, looked upon his daughter, the Grand Empress Dowager, who was then still a little child. The Grand Empress Dowager was Princess Shōshi, daughter of Emperor Suzaku, who later became empress to Emperor Reizei. Retired Emperor Suzaku died in Tenryaku 6 (952). Through the bamboo he pivots on "yo," bamboo joint and life, and "ne," root and cry, singing of a father's grief at having to leave his little daughter behind.
The author, written as "Composed by the Emperor," is Emperor Suzaku. A son of Emperor Daigo, he was the elder brother of Emperor Murakami.

First line, "kuretake no," means "of the black bamboo," leading through bamboo to "yo" in the second line.
Second line, "waga yo wa koto ni," is a pivot word: "yo" means a bamboo "joint" and "life." It means "my life apart from yours."
Third line, "narinu tomo," means "though it should become," with "nu" perfective and "tomo" a concessive supposition.
Fourth line, "ne wa taesezu mo," is a pivot word: "ne" means the bamboo's "roots" and "crying."
Final line, "nakarubeki kana," means "I shall surely weep," with "ru" a spontaneous auxiliary and "beki" conjectural. It shares with 1304 in this book, which lays a child's life over the joints of slender bamboo, the singing of life through bamboo.
Author: Emperor Suzaku
Source: Shui Wakashu
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