Aki no no o asa yuku shika no ato mo naku omoishi kimi ni aeru koyoi ka

秋の野を朝行く鹿の跡もなく
思ひし君に逢へる今夜か

Roma-ji: Aki no no o asa yuku shika no ato mo naku omoishi kimi ni aeru koyoi ka
English Translation: In the autumn fields,
like the deer that goes at dawn,
leaving not a trace,
you, whom I thought of in vain,
tonight at last I have met
Meaning: Like the deer that leaves no trace crossing the autumn fields at dawn, I had thought of you without any hope; and tonight at last we have met.
Commentary: Book Eight Autumn Love Poems 1613

Headnote: "A poem by Princess Kamo [a daughter of Prince Nagaya; her mother was of the Abe no Ason]"
Like the deer that leaves no trace crossing the autumn fields at dawn, she had gone on thinking of someone without any hope, and tonight at last she has met him. The joy of a hopeless love unexpectedly fulfilled is expressed with wonder. The note says, "The above poem is said by some to be by Princess Kurahashibe and by others to be by Princess Kasanui," so there are variant attributions.
The author, Princess Kamo, was, as the note in the headnote says, a daughter of Prince Nagaya; her mother was a woman of the Abe clan.

The first line, with an extra syllable, names the autumn fields the deer crosses.
The second line means "of the deer that goes at dawn."
The third line means "leaving no trace," and the first three lines lead to a longing without any clue.
The fourth line means "you, whom I had thought of."
The final line, with the continuative "ri" and exclamatory "ka," closes joyfully: this is the night we have met. Poems on deer follow one another in the autumn love poems of this book; against the crying deer of 1611 before it, this one sings of a deer that goes leaving no trace.
Author: Princess Kamo
Source: Manyoshu
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