Iki no o ni omoeru ware o yamajisa no hana ni ka kimi ga utsuroinuramu

息の緒に思へる我れを山ぢさの
花にか君がうつろひぬらむ

Roma-ji: Iki no o ni omoeru ware o yamajisa no hana ni ka kimi ga utsuroinuramu
English Translation: As the thread of life
I have held you in my thoughts,
yet like mountain chisa,
like its flowers, have you, my love,
faded now and turned away?
Meaning: I have loved you with my very life—yet have you, like the flowers of the mountain chisa, faded and changed your heart?
Commentary: Book Seven Allegorical Poems 1360

Headnote: "On Flowers"
The poet, who loves with all her life, wonders whether the beloved has changed heart like the flowers of the mountain chisa. The flowers whose color fades so easily stand for the lover's changing heart.
It is the first poem under the heading "On Flowers." The last line, "faded now and turned away," uses the same verb as the last line of poem 1351 in this book. The poet is unknown.

The first line, "As the thread of life," means "with my very life."
In the second line, "I have held you in my thoughts," the particle "o" carries a concessive sense.
The third line names the yamajisa, identified with the snowbell tree and others.
In the fourth line, the particle "ka" is answered by the attributive "ramu" in the final line.
The final line, "faded now and turned away," overlaps the fading of the flowers with a change of heart.
Source: Manyoshu
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