Uhae naki mono kamo hito wa shika bakari tōki ieji o kaesaku omoeba

うはへなきものかも人はしかばかり
遠き家路を帰さく思へば

Roma-ji: Uhae naki mono kamo hito wa shika bakari tōki ieji o kaesaku omoeba
English Translation: How unkind she is,
how without a thought for me,
when so very far
is the road back to my home,
yet she sends me back again
Meaning: How unkind she is, sending me back along so long a road home without letting me see her.
Commentary: Book Four Love Poems 631

Headnote: "Two poems sent by Prince Yuhara to a maiden; he was a son of Prince Shiki"
This is the first of two poems Prince Yuhara sent to a maiden. He reproaches her as unkind for sending him back without a meeting after he has come so far. An exchange between Prince Yuhara and the maiden follows, full of wit. Ōtomo no Yakamochi's poem 692 in this book also opens with uhae naki, "how unkind," and has the same conceit.
The author, Prince Yuhara, was a son of Prince Shiki and a poet of the Nara period known for the fresh clarity of his style.

First line, "How unkind she is," renders uhae naki, taken to mean lacking consideration, cold.
Second line, "how without a thought for me," uses the exclamatory kamo: what a one she is. The poem breaks after this line.
Third line, "when so very far," means to such a degree.
Fourth line, "is the road back to my home," means the long way home.
Fifth line, "yet she sends me back again," uses kaesaku, the nominalized form of kaesu: when I think how she sends me back.
Author: Prince Yuhara
Source: Manyoshu
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