Yū kakete iwau kono mori koenubeku omōyuru kamo koi no shigeki ni

木綿懸けて斎ふこの社越えぬべく
思ほゆるかも恋の繁きに

Roma-ji: Yū kakete iwau kono mori koenubeku omōyuru kamo koi no shigeki ni
English Translation: Hanging mulberry cloth,
this shrine that they hold holy—
that I might cross it,
so it seems to me at times,
so thick my longing grows
Meaning: This shrine, held sacred with hangings of mulberry cloth—I feel I might even cross into it, so fierce is my longing.
Commentary: Book Seven Allegorical Poems 1378

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "On the Gods"
The poet feels that even the sacred shrine, worshipped with hangings of mulberry cloth, might be crossed, so fierce is his longing. The shrine that must not be entered stands for a forbidden love, and the poem expresses a passion ready to break the taboo in order to meet.
It forms a pair with the preceding poem, sharing the first line "Hanging mulberry cloth." Where that poem tells of restraint for fear of others' eyes, this one tells of a love so strong it might cross the bounds, so that restraint and overflowing passion stand opposite each other. The poet is unknown.

The first line, "Hanging mulberry cloth," is the same as the first line of the preceding poem.
The second line refers to the shrine kept sacred for the god.
The third line, "that I might cross it," means "so that I would cross it."
In the fourth line, "kamo" expresses emotion, and the poem pauses here.
The final line, "so thick my longing grows," gives the reason by inversion.
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Yū kakete matsuru mimoro no kamusabite imu ni wa arazu hitome ōmi koso
Next Poem: Taezu yuku asuka no kawa no yodomeraba yue shi mo aru goto hito no mimaku ni