Tanabata ni kokoro wa kasu to omowanedo kureyuku sora wa ureshikarikeri - Shika Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

たなばたに心は貸すと思はねど
暮れゆく空はうれしかりけり

Roma-ji: Tanabata ni kokoro wa kasu to omowanedo kureyuku sora wa ureshikarikeri
English Translation: To the Weaver Maid
I do not think that I lend
my heart, and yet
the sky as it darkens
fills me with a quiet joy
Meaning: I do not think I have lent my heart to the Weaver Maid, and yet the sky darkening on Tanabata evening fills me with joy.
Commentary: Book Three Autumn Poems 86

Headnote: "Composed for the poetry contest held at the palace in the second year of Jōryaku"
The author is listed here as an unnumbered poet, but the Shikashu attributes the poem to Fujiwara no Akitsuna. It was composed for the palace poetry contest of Jōryaku 2 (1078).
On Tanabata evening, as the two stars' meeting draws near, the poet finds himself as glad as if it were his own. Speaking of lending one's heart rather than a robe or thread, it wittily answers the robe offering of the preceding poem.

The first line, "tanabata ni," means "to the Weaver Maid," the same opening line as the preceding poem, 85.
The second line, "kokoro wa kasu to," plays on the custom of lending robes by speaking of lending one's heart.
The third line, "omowanedo," means "though I do not think so," showing the gap between reason and feeling.
The fourth line, "kureyuku sora wa," refers to the evening sky of Tanabata as the night of meeting approaches.
The last line, "ureshikarikeri," ends with the exclamatory keri of realization. Against the offering of a robe in the preceding poem, it pairs the idea of lending the heart.
Source: Shika Wakashu
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