Imo ga tame suga no mi tsumi ni yukishi ware yamaji ni madoi kono hi kurashitsu

妹がため菅の実摘みに行きし我れ
山道に惑ひこの日暮らしつ

Roma-ji: Imo ga tame suga no mi tsumi ni yukishi ware yamaji ni madoi kono hi kurashitsu
English Translation: For my darling's sake
I set out to pick sedge seeds,
and on the mountain path
losing my way, I wandered
and spent this whole day long
Meaning: I set out to pick sedge seeds for my beloved's sake—but lost my way on the mountain paths and spent the whole day wandering.
Commentary: Book Seven Miscellaneous Poems 1250

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Composed on Journeys"
The poet went to pick sedge seeds for his wife but lost his way on the mountain paths and spent the whole day wandering. The mishap on an errand undertaken out of love is told with gentle humor.
The left note "The four poems above come from the Kakinomoto no Hitomaro Collection" is attached to this poem, the last of the four. Where the preceding poem is in a woman's voice, this one is in a man's, and the two answer each other like an exchange. The last line, "and spent this whole day long," is the same as in poem 1220 in this book.

The first line, "For my darling's sake," answers "For your sake" in the first line of the preceding poem.
The second line, "I set out to pick sedge seeds," states his purpose.
The third line refers to the poet who went out.
The fourth line, "losing my way," describes getting lost on the mountain road.
The final line, "and spent this whole day long," is the same as the last line of poem 1220.
Source: Manyoshu
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