Koromode ni mishibu tsuku made ueshi ta o hikita waga hae mamoreru kurushi

衣手に水渋付くまで植ゑし田を
引板我が延へまもれる苦し

Roma-ji: Koromode ni mishibu tsuku made ueshi ta o hikita waga hae mamoreru kurushi
English Translation: On my sleeves the stain
of rusty water stuck fast
as I planted the field:
stretching out the clapper ropes,
how hard it is to keep watch
Meaning: The rice field I planted until my sleeves were stained with rusty water: how hard it is to stand guard over it, stretching out the clapper ropes.
Commentary: Book Eight Autumn Love Poems 1634

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Two poems sent by a certain person to a nun"
The poet says it is hard to keep watch over the rice field he planted until his sleeves were stained with rusty water, stretching out clapper ropes to drive off birds and beasts. One view holds that the field stands for a carefully raised daughter, and the poem sings of the parent's toil in guarding her.
The author is identified in the headnote only as "a certain person," and the name is not known.

The first line means "on my sleeves."
The second line means "until the rust floating on the water clung to them," showing concretely the labor of planting rice.
The third line means "the field I planted." The upper verse of the next poem, 1635, also ends "the field that was planted," so the poems link through the same words.
The fourth line means "stretching out the clapper ropes myself."
The final line means "it is hard to guard it," closing with the continuative "ri" to show the ongoing watch.
Source: Manyoshu
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