Kimi ga yo wa matsu no uwaba ni oku tsuyu no tsumorite yomo no umi to naru made - Kinyo Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

君が代は松の上葉に置く露の
積もりて四方の海となるまで

Roma-ji: Kimi ga yo wa matsu no uwaba ni oku tsuyu no tsumorite yomo no umi to naru made
English Translation: May our lord's reign last
till the dew that settles on
the pine's topmost leaves
has gathered and gathered up
to become the four seas
Meaning: May our lord's reign last until the dew that settles on the topmost leaves of the pine gathers drop by drop into the seas on every side.
Commentary: Book Five Celebration Poems 311

May the sovereign's reign last until the tiny drops of dew on the pine's top leaves gather and become the seas on every side, the poem says. Taking as the length of the reign the long time it takes for something small to grow into something vast, it recalls the Kokinshū poem wishing the lord a thousand and eight thousand ages, until pebbles become a boulder grown with moss.
Many poems in this book begin with 'kimi ga yo wa', our lord's reign, and poems 313, 323, 324, 325 and 327 in this book open with the same line.
From poem 311 through poem 314 in this book come poems celebrating the long reign of the sovereign through pines, white waves and cherry blossoms.
The author, Toshiyori, is Minamoto no Toshiyori. A son of Minamoto no Tsunenobu, he compiled this anthology, the Kin'yōwakashū, at the command of Retired Emperor Shirakawa, and is known for his innovative style.

First line, 'kimi ga yo wa', means our lord's reign, a common opening for celebration poems.
Second line, 'matsu no uwaba ni', means on the topmost leaves of the pine, the tree said to live a thousand years.
Third line, 'oku tsuyu no', means the dew that settles, naming dew, the very emblem of the fleeting.
Fourth line, 'tsumorite yomo no', means gathering up into the four.
Final line, 'umi to naru made', means until it becomes the sea, showing a time so long that dew becomes an ocean. Like 'until moss grows' in the Kokinshū poem, it closes with made, until, marking how far the reign will last.
Author: Minamoto no Toshiyori
Source: Kinyo Wakashu
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