Tachibana no shima ni shi oreba kawa tōmi sarasazu nuishi aga shitagoromo

橘の島にし居れば川遠み
さらさず縫ひし我が下衣

Roma-ji: Tachibana no shima ni shi oreba kawa tōmi sarasazu nuishi aga shitagoromo
English Translation: At Tachibana,
since I dwell upon the isle,
the river being far,
unbleached I sewed it into
this garment that I wear beneath
Meaning: Living at Tachibana no Shima, far from the river, I sewed my undergarment without bleaching the cloth.
Commentary: Book Seven Allegorical Poems 1315

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "On Robes"
Living at Tachibana no Shima, far from the river, the poet sewed his undergarment without bleaching the cloth. One view takes the unbleached undergarment as a figure for a partner with whom one was joined without the proper steps.
It is the fifth poem of the series on robes and the last under the heading "On Robes." "Undergarment," like "worn beneath" in the two preceding poems, suggests a relationship hidden from others. Tachibana no Shima is taken to be Tachibana in Asuka. The poet is unknown.

The first line, "At Tachibana," names the place.
In the second line, "since I dwell upon the isle," "shi" adds emphasis.
In the third line, "the river being far," "mi" expresses cause.
The fourth line, "unbleached I sewed it," means sewing cloth that had not been bleached.
The final line, "this garment that I wear beneath," ends on a noun and corresponds to "worn beneath" in the two preceding poems.
Source: Manyoshu
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