Koto towanu ki sura imo to se to ari to iu o tada hitoriko ni aru ga kurushisa

言問はぬ木すら妹と兄とありといふを
ただ独り子にあるが苦しさ

Roma-ji: Koto towanu ki sura imo to se to ari to iu o tada hitoriko ni aru ga kurushisa
English Translation: Trees that speak no word—
even they have sister, brother,
so the saying goes—
yet I, an only child,
how bitter it is to be
Meaning: Even trees, which cannot speak, are said to have sisters and brothers; how bitter it is that I should be an only child.
Commentary: Book Six Miscellaneous Poems 1007

Headnote: "A poem by Prince Ichihara grieving over being an only child"
This poem laments that, though even trees that cannot speak are said to have sisters and brothers, the poet himself is an only child. "Grieving over being an only child" in the headnote means sorrowing at having no siblings, and the poem seems to lament the poet's own situation.
By saying that even mindless trees have sisters and brothers, the poet sets off by contrast his own loneliness as a human being. It is a poem that frankly expresses the loneliness of having no siblings to rely on.
The poet, Prince Ichihara, was a son of Prince Aki and a member of the imperial family in the Nara period. As an official he was involved in the building of the Great Buddha of Tōdaiji and held posts such as head of the Office for the Construction of Tōdaiji.

The first line, "Trees that speak no word," means "that do not speak." "Koto tou" means to speak or address someone, and the line points to trees that cannot speak.
The second line, "even they have sister, brother," means "even trees have a sister and a brother." The line has an extra syllable, and "sura" raises one example to imply others: if even mindless trees are so, how much more so are people.
The third line, "so the saying goes," means "it is said that they have, and yet." It also has an extra syllable, and "o" expresses contrast, setting the trees' having siblings against the poet's own lot.
The fourth line, "yet I, an only child," means "just a single child." "Tada" emphasizes the solitude of having no siblings.
The final line, "how bitter it is to be," means "the bitterness of being so." It ends on a noun formed by adding "-sa" to an adjective stem, and closing on a noun leaves the lament resonating deeply.
Author: Prince Ichihara
Source: Manyoshu
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