Au koto ya namida no tama no o naruramu shibashi tayureba ochite midaruru - Shika Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

逢ふことや涙の玉の緒なるらむ
しばし絶ゆれば落ちて乱るる

Roma-ji: Au koto ya namida no tama no o naruramu shibashi tayureba ochite midaruru
English Translation: Are our meetings, then,
the cord on which the jewels
of my tears are strung,
for when it breaks for a while
they fall and scatter in disarray
Meaning: Are our meetings the cord that strings the jewels of my tears? For when they break off even for a while, the tears fall and scatter.
Commentary: Book Eight Love Poems II 252

The poet likens meetings with the beloved to the cord that strings the jewels of tears: when days pass without meeting, the tears spill and scatter as if the cord had snapped. Linking "tama no o" (jeweled cord), "tayu" (to break), and "midaru" (to scatter) as associated words, the poem wittily expresses the grief of not meeting.

The first line, "au koto ya" (are our meetings), poses a question with "ya."
The second line, "namida no tama no," likens tears to jewels.
The third line, "o naruramu," names the cord that strings jewels and closes "ya" with the attributive "ramu," a kakari-musubi with a break after the third line.
The fourth line, "shibashi tayureba," overlays the cord breaking with meetings breaking off, forming an associated word with "tama no o."
The final line, "ochite midaruru," overlays jewels falling and scattering with tears spilling in disorder; "midaru" too is associated with the cord. Ending in the attributive form, it leaves a lingering resonance.
Source: Shika Wakashu
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