Michinoku no adatara mayumi tsura hakete hikaba ka hito no wa o koto nasamu

陸奥の安達太良真弓弦はけて
引かばか人の我を言なさむ

Roma-ji: Michinoku no adatara mayumi tsura hakete hikaba ka hito no wa o koto nasamu
English Translation: In far Michinoku
the Adatara true-bow's
string I'd fit and pull—
if I drew, would people then
spread their rumors about me?
Meaning: As one fits the string to a true bow of Adatara in Michinoku and draws it—if I were to draw her to me, would people start rumors about me?
Commentary: Book Seven Allegorical Poems 1329

Headnote: "On Bows"
As one strings and draws a fine bow of Adatara in Michinoku, the poet wonders whether, if he were to draw her heart to him, people would talk about him. Drawing a bow stands for courting a woman, and the poem shows the hesitation of one who longs to act but fears gossip.
It is the first poem under the heading "On Bows," which covers this and the next poem. Adatara is a mountain in Michinoku, famous for bows made from its spindle trees. The worry about gossip in the last line is in the same vein as "would they spread talk?" in the last line of poem 1313 in this book, a poem on robes. The poet is unknown.

The first line, "In far Michinoku," names the province of Michinoku.
The second line, "the Adatara true-bow's," refers to a fine bow made from the spindle trees of Mount Adatara.
The third line, "string I'd fit and pull," completes a preface leading to "draw" in the fourth line.
The fourth line, "if I drew," overlays drawing a bow with drawing a woman's heart; the particle "ka" is answered by the attributive "nasamu" in the final line.
The final line, "spread their rumors about me?" uses the same word, "koto nasu," as the last line of poem 1313.
Source: Manyoshu
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