Shirotae no sode wakarubeki hi o chikami kokoro ni musei ne nomi shi nakayu

白栲の袖別るべき日を近み
心にむせひ音のみし泣かゆ

Roma-ji: Shirotae no sode wakarubeki hi o chikami kokoro ni musei ne nomi shi nakayu
English Translation: Our white hempen sleeves
must be parted, and that day
draws so near, that I,
choking in my heart with tears,
can do nothing but weep aloud
Meaning: Because the day draws near when our white sleeves must part, I choke with sobs within and cannot help but weep aloud.
Commentary: Book Four Love Poems 645

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Three poems of resentment by Ki no Iratsume"
In the last of the three, the day of parting draws near, and she chokes with sobs and weeps aloud. Across the three poems, the sorrow of a woman facing separation from her husband steadily deepens.
The author, Ki no Iratsume, was a daughter of Ki no Kanohito, named Oshika, and was the wife of Prince Aki.

First line, "Our white hempen sleeves," is shirotae no, a pillow word for "sleeve."
Second line, "must be parted, and that day," means our sleeves must part.
Third line, "draws so near, that I," uses o ... mi for a reason: because the day is near.
Fourth line, "choking in my heart with tears," means sobbing within.
Fifth line, "can do nothing but weep aloud," uses yu, the spontaneous auxiliary: I cannot help but cry aloud.
Author: Ki no Iratsume
Source: Manyoshu
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