Ōroka ni ware shi omowaba shita ni kite narenishi kinu o torite kime ya mo

おほろかに我れし思はば下に着て
なれにし衣を取りて着めやも

Roma-ji: Ōroka ni ware shi omowaba shita ni kite narenishi kinu o torite kime ya mo
English Translation: If carelessly
I had thought of you at all,
the robe worn beneath,
the one grown soft with wearing,
would I take it out to wear?
Meaning: If my love were only careless, would I take out the robe I have worn beneath, grown soft with wearing, and put it on? Never.
Commentary: Book Seven Allegorical Poems 1312

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "On Robes"
If his feelings were careless, the poet says, he would never take out the robe he has long worn underneath and put it on. The familiar underrobe is taken to stand for a woman with whom he has long had a secret relationship, and the poem insists that openly taking her as his wife shows his heartfelt love.
It is the second poem of the series on robes. "Worn beneath" is the same phrase as in the next poem, 1313, which worries about gossip if the robe worn beneath is put on top; the two poems contrast with each other. The poet is unknown.

The first line, "If carelessly," means "in a half-hearted way."
In the second line, "if I had thought of you," "shi" adds emphasis.
The third line, "the robe worn beneath," signifies a secret relationship; the same phrase appears in the next poem, 1313.
The fourth line, "the one grown soft with wearing," means a robe that has become familiar.
In the final line, "meya mo" is rhetorical: "would I wear it? Never," showing that his love is anything but careless.
Source: Manyoshu
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