青山を横ぎる雲のいちしろく
我れと笑まして人に知らゆな
我れと笑まして人に知らゆな
- Roma-ji
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Aoyama o yokogiru kumo no ichishiroku ware to emashite hito ni shirayu na
- English Translation
-
Crossing the green hills,
like the cloud that plainly shows,
openly, so clear,
do not smile at me like that,
lest the people come to know
- Meaning
- Like a cloud crossing the green hills, plain for all to see, do not smile at me so openly, lest people come to know of us.
- Commentary
-
Book Four Love Poems 688
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Seven poems by Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue"
As a white cloud crossing green hills stands out plainly, she asks him not to smile at her so openly before others, lest their love become known. Like poem 683 in this book, it expresses fear of love being discovered.
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, "Crossing the green hills," means the green-clad mountains.
Second line, "like the cloud that plainly shows," names a cloud crossing them; with the first line it forms a preface to "openly."
Third line, "openly, so clear," means conspicuously, plainly.
Fourth line, "do not smile at me like that," uses emasu, honorific of emu: smiling at me.
Fifth line, "lest the people come to know," uses the passive yu and prohibitive na: do not let yourself be known.
- Author
- Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue
- Source
- Manyoshu
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