classic waka stream

真土山夕越え行きて廬前の
角太川原にひとりかも寝む
Roma-ji

Matsuchiyama yū koeyukite Iosaki no Sumida kawara ni hitori ka mo nemu

English Translation
Mount Matsuchi now
I cross in the evening dusk,
and at Iosaki,
on the riverbank of Sumida,
shall I lie down all alone?
Meaning
Crossing Mount Matsuchi at dusk, shall I sleep alone tonight on the riverbank of Sumida at Iosaki?
Commentary
Book Three Miscellaneous Poems 298

Headnote: "A poem by Benki"
Crossing Mount Matsuchi at dusk, on the border between Yamato and Kii, the poet foresees a night in the open on the riverbank of Sumida beyond, and dwells on the loneliness of a night on the road. A left note says that, by one account, Benki was the monastic name of Kasuga no Kurabito Oyu.
According to the left note, the poet, Benki, was the monastic name of Kasuga no Kurabito Oyu, who returned to lay life in Taihō 1 (701) and was given that name.

First line "Mount Matsuchi now": a mountain on the border of Yamato and Kii, between present-day Gojō, Nara, and Hashimoto, Wakayama.
Second line "I cross in the evening dusk" means going over it at evening.
Third line "and at Iosaki" is thought to be a place along the Ki River.
Fourth line "on the riverbank of Sumida" is thought to be a riverbank of the Ki River.
Fifth line "shall I lie down all alone": ka is interrogative and mu, in the attributive, completes the construction, ending in the loneliness of a night on the road.
Author
Benki
Source
Manyoshu
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