Yamasuge no minaranu koto o ware ni yose iwareshi kimi wa tare to ka nuramu

山菅の実ならぬことを我れに寄せ
言はれし君は誰れとか寝らむ

Roma-ji: Yamasuge no minaranu koto o ware ni yose iwareshi kimi wa tare to ka nuramu
English Translation: Like the mountain sedge,
bearing fruit that never comes,
rumor linked with me,
you, of whom they spoke that way,
with whom now do you lie down
Meaning: Like the mountain sedge that bears no fruit, you were linked with me in idle rumor; with whom, I wonder, are you sleeping now?
Commentary: Book Four Love Poems 564

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Two poems by Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue"
Like the mountain sedge that bears no fruit, the man was linked with her in fruitless rumor; with whom, she teases, is he sleeping now? A playful poem addressed to the subject of the gossip, it shows Lady Sakanoue's characteristic wit.
The author, Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue, was a daughter of Ōtomo no Yasumaro and half-sister of Ōtomo no Tabito. She left many poems in the Man'yōshū and is esteemed as a leading woman poet.

First line, "Like the mountain sedge," names sedge growing in the hills; because it bears no fruit, it leads to "that bears no fruit" in the second line.
Second line, "bearing fruit that never comes," means that which does not bear fruit, referring to groundless rumor.
Third line, "rumor linked with me," means attaching it to me, being named as the other party in the gossip.
Fourth line, "you, of whom they spoke that way," uses shi, the attributive of past ki: you of whom they spoke.
Fifth line, "with whom now do you lie down," uses the questioning ka and the attributive of present conjectural ramu: with whom are you sleeping now?
Author: Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue
Source: Manyoshu
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