Azusayumi tsurao torihake hiku hito wa nochi no kokoro o shiru hito zo hiku

梓弓弦緒取りはけ引く人は
後の心を知る人ぞ引く

Roma-ji: Azusayumi tsurao torihake hiku hito wa nochi no kokoro o shiru hito zo hiku
English Translation: Catalpa bow—
the one who fits the string and draws
draws it knowing well
what his heart will be later:
only one who knows will draw.
Meaning: The one who firmly strings a catalpa bow and draws it is one who already knows his heart in days to come; only such a man will draw.
Commentary: Book Two Love Poems 99

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Five poems from the time when the Meditation Master Kume courted Lady Ishikawa"
Answering the Lady's worry that she cannot know his future heart, the Master assures her that one who strings a bow and draws it does so already knowing what lies ahead.
According to the headnote, these are five poems from the time when the Meditation Master Kume courted Lady Ishikawa, and small notes, "the Master" or "the Lady," appended to each poem identify the speaker. The sequence is a dialogue in the language of archery: the Master's question, two answers from the Lady, and two replies from the Master. This is the fourth of them; the note "the Master" at its end has been removed from the text of the poem.
The author, the Meditation Master Kume, is otherwise unknown. Zenji, "meditation master," was a title for a monk trained in Buddhist practice.

The first line, "azusayumi," repeats the first line of the preceding poem, carrying on her words in his reply.
In the second line, "tsurao torihake," tsurao is a bowstring and haku means to fit it to the bow, showing careful preparation.
The third line, "hiku hito wa," overlays the one who draws a bow and the one who woos a woman.
The fourth line, "nochi no kokoro o," takes over the fourth line of the preceding poem as it stands, making the correspondence of the exchange plain.
In the final line, "shiru hito zo hiku," zo is a binding particle concluding in the attributive hiku. Repeating "draw" from the third line, he closes with conviction.
Author: Meditation Master Kume
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Azusayumi hikaba manimani yorame domo nochi no kokoro o shirikatenu kamo
Next Poem: Azumahito no nosaki no hako no ni no o ni mo imo wa kokoro ni norinikeru kamo