endless flood of tears
Archaic poetic word for a ceaseless stream of tears, often used in classical waka or literary contexts.
In old poems, the expression 涙川 likens endlessly flowing tears to a river.
Compound of 涙 (なみだ, 'tears') and 川 (かわ, 'river'), with rendaku voicing. The exact historical derivation is uncertain; it is a poetic metaphor found in classical Japanese literature.