Yū kakete matsuru mimoro no kamusabite imu ni wa arazu hitome ōmi koso

木綿懸けて祭る三諸の神さびて
斎むにはあらず人目多みこそ

Roma-ji: Yū kakete matsuru mimoro no kamusabite imu ni wa arazu hitome ōmi koso
English Translation: Hanging mulberry cloth,
at Mimoro they worship—
not like the gods,
in holy awe, do I abstain;
it is only that eyes are many
Meaning: It is not that I hold myself apart in holy reverence, like the god of Mimoro worshipped with hangings of mulberry cloth—it is only that so many eyes are watching.
Commentary: Book Seven Allegorical Poems 1377

Headnote: "On the Gods"
The speaker says that staying away from the beloved is not because of abstinence like that of the god of Mimoro, worshipped with hangings of mulberry cloth, but only because so many eyes are watching. The reason for not meeting is compared to purifying oneself in divine service and then denied, revealing the true fear of being seen.
It is the first poem under the heading "On the Gods" and shares the first line, "Hanging mulberry cloth," with the next poem. Following the preceding poem's fear of gossip, it too is a poem of wariness of others' eyes. The poet is unknown.

The first line, "Hanging mulberry cloth," describes worshipping a god by hanging cloth on sacred branches; it is the same as the first line of the next poem.
The second line refers to the shrine where the god is worshipped; the first two lines form a preface leading to the third line.
The third line, "in holy awe," means behaving with godlike solemnity.
The fourth line, "do I abstain," is negated—"it is not that I abstain"—and the poem pauses here.
The final line, "it is only that eyes are many," uses the "-mi" form meaning "because," and the conclusion after the particle "koso" is left unsaid.
Source: Manyoshu
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