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- Manyoshu
Ashibe yuku kamo no hagai ni shimo furite samuki yūbe wa yamato shi omōyu
On evenings so cold that frost settles on the folded wings of the ducks gliding among the reeds, I find my heart turning to Yamato.
Manyoshu - Prince Shiki
Arare utsu arare matsubara suminoe no otohiotome to miredo akanu kamo
The pine grove of Arare, whose name recalls the beating hail—gazing at it together with Otohi, the maiden of Suminoe, I never tire of the sight.
Manyoshu - Prince Naga
Ōtomo no takashi no hama no matsu ga ne o makuraki nuredo ie shi shinowayu
Though I sleep with the roots of the pines on Takashi's shore at Ōtomo for my pillow, my thoughts keep turning to home.
Manyoshu - Okisome no Azumabito
Tabi ni shite mono kohoshiki ni tazu ga ne mo kikoezu ariseba koite shinamashi
On this journey I am filled with longing; if I could not even hear the cries of the cranes, I would surely die of yearning.
Manyoshu - Takayasu no Ōshima
Ōtomo no mitsu no hama naru wasuregai ie naru imo o wasurete omoe ya
There on the shore of Mitsu in Ōtomo lie the "forgetting shells"—but could I ever forget my wife waiting at home? Never.
Manyoshu - Prince Mutobe
Kusamakura tabi yuku kimi to shiramaseba kishi no hanyū ni niowasamashi o
Had I only known you would be setting off on a journey, I would have dyed your robes with the red clay of the shore as a keepsake.
Manyoshu - Kiyoe no Otome
Yamato ni wa nakite ka kuramu yobukodori kisa no nakayama yobi zo koyu naru
Has it reached Yamato by now, crying as it goes—that calling bird I hear crossing the ridge of Kisa, calling out?
Manyoshu - Takechi no Kurohito
Yamato koi i no neraenu ni kokoro naku kono susakimi ni tazu naku beshi ya
Longing for Yamato, I cannot sleep—should the cranes be crying so heartlessly here around this sandy point?
Manyoshu - Osakabe no Otomaro
Tamamo karu okie wa kogaji shikitae no makura no atari wasurekanetsu mo
I will not row out toward the open sea where the seaweed is gathered—I cannot forget the place beside my pillow where we lay together.
Manyoshu - Fujiwara no Umakai
Wagimoko o hayami hamakaze yamato naru a o matsu tsubaki fukazaru na yume
O shore wind blowing so swiftly—swift as my longing to see my dear wife—never forget to blow upon the pine and camellia that wait for me in Yamato!
Manyoshu - Prince Naga
Miyoshino no yama no arashi no samukeku ni hata ya koyoi mo waga hitori nemu
The storm wind blowing down from the hills of Yoshino is so cold—must I sleep alone again tonight?
Manyoshu - Emperor Monmu (attributed)
Ujimayama asakaze samushi tabi ni shite koromo kasu beki imo mo aranaku ni
The morning wind on Mount Ujima is cold—and here on my journey there is no beloved to lend me her robe.
Manyoshu - Prince Nagaya
Masurao no tomo no oto su nari mononofu no ōmaetsukimi tate tatsu rashi mo
I hear the twang of the warriors' wrist guards—it seems the Minister of the Mononobe is setting up the shields for the ceremony.
Manyoshu - Empress Genmei
Waga ōkimi mono na omōshi sumegami no tsugite tamaeru ware nakenaku ni
My Sovereign, do not be troubled. Am I not here—given by the ancestral gods to stand beside you?
Manyoshu - Princess Minabe
Tobu tori no asuka no sato o okite inaba kimi ga atari wa miezu ka mo aramu
If I go away and leave behind the village of Asuka, will I no longer be able to see the place where you dwell?
Manyoshu - Empress Genmei (some say Empress Jitō)
Aoniyoshi nara no ie ni wa yorozuyo ni ware mo kayowamu wasuru to omou na
To this house in Nara I too shall come and go for ten thousand ages—do not think that I will ever forget.