Natsu no no no shigemi ni sakeru himeyuri no shiraenu koi wa kurushiki mono zo

夏の野の茂みに咲ける姫百合の
知らえぬ恋は苦しきものぞ

Roma-ji: Natsu no no no shigemi ni sakeru himeyuri no shiraenu koi wa kurushiki mono zo
English Translation: In the summer fields,
blooming in the thick of grass,
like the little lily,
a love that is never known
is such a painful thing
Meaning: Like the little lily blooming unseen in the thick grass of the summer fields, a love that remains unknown is a painful thing.
Commentary: Book Eight Summer Love Poems 1500

Headnote: "A poem by Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue"
Drawing on the little lily that blooms hidden in the thick grass of the summer fields, the poet sings of the pain of a love kept secret and unknown to the beloved. The figure of a small flower buried in the grass and unseen, laid over a secret love, is lovely, and the poem is known as one of her finest.
The author, Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue, was a daughter of Ōtomo no Yasumaro and a half-sister of Ōtomo no Tabito. She was the aunt of Ōtomo no Yakamochi and later also his mother-in-law, and she left many poems in the Man'yōshū.

The first line, with an extra syllable, names fields thick with summer grass.
The second line means "blooming in the thick of the grass."
The third line names the little lily, which bears small red or orange flowers in summer. The first three lines form a preface leading to "unknown." 1503 of this book also sings of the lily, but as a witty play on the sound "yuri," so the same flower is treated both as a figure and as a pun.
The fourth line is the negative of the passive "rayu": "a love that is not known." It is laid over the image of the lily hidden in the grass.
The final line, with "zo," states firmly that it is a painful thing.
Author: Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue
Source: Manyoshu
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