Ashihiki no yamabe ni orite akikaze no hi ni ke ni fukeba imo o shi zo omou

あしひきの山辺に居りて秋風の
日に異に吹けば妹をしぞ思ふ

Roma-ji: Ashihiki no yamabe ni orite akikaze no hi ni ke ni fukeba imo o shi zo omou
English Translation: Of the rugged hills,
by the mountains dwelling here,
as the autumn wind
blows harder with every day,
it is you alone I think of
Meaning: Living here by the mountains, as the autumn wind blows harder day by day, I think only of you.
Commentary: Book Eight Autumn Love Poems 1632

Headnote: "A poem sent by Ōtomo no Sukune Yakamochi from the Kuni capital to the Elder Daughter of Sakanoue, who remained at the house in Nara"
Living by the mountains at the new capital, as the autumn wind blows harder day by day, the poet thinks only of his beloved at home in Nara. Sent from the Kuni capital to the Elder Daughter of Sakanoue who stayed in Nara, it shows how the deepening cold of the autumn wind heightens his longing for someone living apart.
The author, Ōtomo no Yakamochi, was a son of Ōtomo no Tabito and an official of the Nara period. He rose to the post of Middle Counselor, is thought to have been closely involved in compiling the Man'yōshū, and left more poems than anyone else in the anthology. The recipient, the Elder Daughter of Sakanoue, was the daughter of Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue and Yakamochi's cousin, and later became his wife.

The first line, "ashihiki no," is a pillow word for "mountain."
The second line means "living by the mountains," referring to the Kuni capital surrounded by hills.
The third line names the autumn wind growing stronger day by day. Prince Aki's 1555 in this book also sings that the autumn dawn wind "feels cold in my sleeves," evoking the loneliness of sleeping alone in the cold of the autumn wind.
The fourth line means "since it blows harder day by day."
The final line forms a kakari-musubi between the emphatic "shi" with "zo" and the attributive "omou," stressing that he thinks of her alone.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
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