Shirasuge no mano no harihara kokoro yu mo omowanu ware shi koromo ni suritsu

白菅の真野の榛原心ゆも
思はぬ我れし衣に摺りつ

Roma-ji: Shirasuge no mano no harihara kokoro yu mo omowanu ware shi koromo ni suritsu
English Translation: Where white sedges grow,
the alder grove of Mano,
from the heart's own depths
I who never thought of it
have rubbed it into my robe
Meaning: The alder grove of Mano where white sedge grows—I, who never once dreamed of it, have rubbed its dye into my robe.
Commentary: Book Seven Allegorical Poems 1354

Headnote: "On Trees"
The speaker, who never thought it would happen, has rubbed the alder of the grove of Mano into his robe. The alder stands for the woman he loves and rubbing it into his robe for union, and the poem is read as expressing an unexpected union with her.
It is the first poem under the heading "On Trees." The alder grove of Mano also appears in poem 1166 in this book, "Those of long ago must have sought it and rubbed it into their robes, the alder grove of Mano," and both sing of rubbing it into a robe. The third line, "from the heart's own depths," and "never thought" in the fourth line also appear in poem 1338 in this book, which warns against being rubbed into the robe of one who does not love; here, by contrast, the speaker rubs it in himself. The poet is unknown.

The first line, "Where white sedges grow," is taken as a pillow word for Mano, where white sedge grew abundantly.
The second line names the alder grove of Mano in Settsu, the same as the last line of poem 1166 in this book.
The third line, "from the heart's own depths," is the same line as in poem 1338 in this book.
In the fourth line, "I who never thought of it," "shi" is emphatic.
The final line, "have rubbed it into my robe," refers to dyeing cloth with the berries or bark of the alder.
Source: Manyoshu
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