Koikoite au ureshisa o tsutsumubeki sode wa namida ni kuchihatenikeri - Senzai Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

恋ひ恋ひて逢ふ嬉しさを包むべき
袖は涙に朽ち果てにけり

Roma-ji: Koikoite au ureshisa o tsutsumubeki sode wa namida ni kuchihatenikeri
English Translation: Longing and longing,
the joy of meeting at last
they should have wrapped,
but my sleeves have rotted through,
worn away by all my tears
Meaning: After longing and longing, I meet you at last, but the sleeves that should wrap up this joy have already rotted away with all my tears.
Commentary: Book Thirteen Love Poems III 808

Headnote: "Composed on the heart of love at the first meeting"
Composed on the topic "love at the first meeting." The sleeves, he says, that should wrap the joy of meeting after so much longing have rotted away with tears. It draws on the anonymous Kokinshū poem "In what shall I wrap my joy? I should have had my robe cut with ample sleeves," taking up its wish for sleeves to hold one's joy but turning it: those sleeves have already rotted with the long tears shed while they could not meet, so that behind the joy of a first meeting lies the pain of a long love.
The author, "Fujiwara no Kinhira Ason," was the son of Minister of the Right Fujiwara no Kin'yoshi. A younger brother of Fujiwara no Sanesada, the Later Tokudaiji Minister of the Left, he was known as a poet.

First line, "koikoite": "longing and longing," the doubled word showing long days of love.
Second line, "au ureshisa o": "the joy of meeting at last," giving the "first meeting" of the topic.
Third line, "tsutsumubeki": "beki" is the attributive of "beshi" expressing what ought to be, "that should wrap," drawing on the Kokinshū "In what shall I wrap my joy?"
Fourth line, "sode wa namida ni": "my sleeves, with the tears" shed until now.
Fifth line, "kuchihatenikeri": "kuchihatsu" is to rot away utterly, "ni" is perfective, and "keri" expresses realization, "have rotted away, I find."
Author: Fujiwara no Kinhira
Source: Senzai Wakashu
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