Au koto no nakute yaminuru mono naraba ima miyo yo ni mo ari ya hatsuru to

逢ふ事のなくてやみぬるものならば
今見よ世にもありやはつると

Roma-ji: Au koto no nakute yaminuru mono naraba ima miyo yo ni mo ari ya hatsuru to
English Translation: If it ends at last
with no meeting ever come
between you and me,
just you watch and see if I
live on in this world at all.
Meaning: If it should end without our ever meeting, just watch and see whether I go on living in this world.
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 1249

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "One hundred and ten love poems"
If this love should end without their ever meeting, the poet says, just watch whether he can go on living in this world.
The fierce feeling that he cannot live if love is not fulfilled is thrust at the beloved. The strong command "just watch" shows a desperate heart staking life on love.

First line, “au koto no”: our meeting.
Second line, “nakute yaminuru”: ending without it.
Third line, “mono naraba”: if it is so.
Fourth line, “ima miyo yo ni mo”: ima miyo is a strong command, "just watch."
Fifth line, “ari ya hatsuru to”: whether I can live on, implying he will not.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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