Aki ni mata awamu awaji mo shiranu mi wa koyoi bakari no tsuki o dani mimu - Shika Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

秋にまた逢はむ逢はじも知らぬ身は
今宵ばかりの月をだに見む

Roma-ji: Aki ni mata awamu awaji mo shiranu mi wa koyoi bakari no tsuki o dani mimu
English Translation: Whether in autumn
I shall meet it again or not,
I, who cannot know,
tonight at least, this once,
will gaze upon the moon
Meaning: Since I cannot know whether I will meet another autumn, at least tonight I will look upon the moon.
Commentary: Book Three Autumn Poems 97

Headnote: "Composed while gazing at the moon"
Retired Emperor Sanjō composed this while gazing at the moon. He is known to have suffered from an eye ailment and to have reigned only briefly.
Not knowing whether he will see the moon next autumn, he resolves at least to look upon tonight's moon, a heartfelt wish in which the beauty of the autumn moon is bound up with a sense of life's frailty.

The first line, "aki ni mata," means "again in autumn," pointing to the turning of time.
The second line, "awamu awaji mo," means "whether I shall meet it or not," placing yes and no side by side to show uncertainty.
The third line, "shiranu mi wa," means "I, who do not know," describing his own state.
The fourth line, "koyoi bakari no," means "of this night alone," stressing a moment that may never return.
The last line, "tsuki o dani mimu," expresses resolve: "at least the moon I will see," with dani marking the least that is hoped for.
Author: Retired Emperor Sanjo
Source: Shika Wakashu
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