Yamashina no iwata no mori ni nusa okaba kedashi wagimo ni tada ni awamu kamo

山科の石田の杜に幣置かば
けだし我妹に直に逢はむかも

Roma-ji: Yamashina no iwata no mori ni nusa okaba kedashi wagimo ni tada ni awamu kamo
English Translation: In Yamashina,
at the grove of Iwata,
if I lay my offerings,
perhaps then with my darling
I might meet face to face?
Meaning: If I leave offerings at the sacred grove of Iwata in Yamashina, perhaps I might meet my beloved face to face.
Commentary: Book Nine Miscellaneous Poems 1731

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Three poems by Lord Umakai"
The speaker hopes that by leaving offerings at the grove of Iwata he might meet his wife face to face. It holds the earnest prayer of a traveler asking the god for reunion.
This is the third of three poems by Lord Umakai. The grove of Iwata is thought to be the wood of the Ame no Hohi no Mikoto Shrine at Ishida in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto. Following the moor of Iwata in the preceding poem, it takes up the same place.
The author, Fujiwara no Umakai, was the third son of Fujiwara no Fuhito and founder of the Shiki branch of the Fujiwara. He went to Tang China as vice-envoy and later served as governor of Hitachi and as military commissioner of the Saikaidō.

The first line, "in Yamashina," is the same as that of 1730, linking the two poems by place.
The second line, "at the grove of Iwata," names the sacred wood.
The third line, "if I lay my offerings," states a condition.
The fourth line, "perhaps then with my darling," uses kedashi, "perhaps."
The final line, "I might meet face to face?" uses tada ni, "directly," meaning in person rather than in dreams or by message.
Author: Fujiwara no Umakai
Source: Manyoshu
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