Iwagane no kogoshiki yama o koekanete ne ni wa naku tomo iro ni ideme ya mo

岩が根のこごしき山を越えかねて
音には泣くとも色に出でめやも

Roma-ji: Iwagane no kogoshiki yama o koekanete ne ni wa naku tomo iro ni ideme ya mo
English Translation: Mountains where the rocks
rise so jagged and so steep,
failing to cross them,
I may cry aloud in tears—
but will I show it in my face?
Meaning: Unable to cross mountains so rugged with rock, I may weep aloud—but would I ever let my longing show in my face?
Commentary: Book Three Miscellaneous Poems 301

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Two poems composed by Prince Nagaya when he halted his horse on Nara Hill"
This pairs with the preceding poem. He may weep aloud at the hardship of crossing the rugged mountains, but he will never let his longing for his wife show on his face for others to read—the pride of a man restraining his heart. Where the previous poem frankly spoke his love for his wife, here he shows himself trying to conceal it.
The poet, Prince Nagaya, was a grandson of Emperor Tenmu and son of Prince Takechi. He rose to Minister of the Left but was driven to take his own life in the Nagaya Incident of Jinki 6 (729).

First line "Mountains where the rocks": iwagane are great rocks rooted in the earth.
Second line "rise so jagged and so steep": kogoshi describes rough, craggy rock.
Third line "failing to cross them" means being unable to get over.
Fourth line "I may cry aloud in tears": ne ni naku means to weep aloud, and tomo is a concessive condition.
Fifth line "but will I show it in my face": iro ni izu means for feelings to show in the face, me is the conditional of mu, and ya mo is rhetorical—firmly refusing to reveal his love.
Author: Prince Nagaya
Source: Manyoshu
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