Wagimoko wa kushiro ni aranamu hidarite no waga oku no te ni makite inamashi o

我妹子は釧にあらなむ左手の
我が奥の手に巻きて去なましを

Roma-ji: Wagimoko wa kushiro ni aranamu hidarite no waga oku no te ni makite inamashi o
English Translation: If only my love
were a bracelet on my arm,
then upon my left,
on my dearest, inmost hand,
I would wear her as I go.
Meaning: I wish my beloved were a bracelet; then I would bind her on my left hand, my dearest hand, and take her with me.
Commentary: Book Nine Love Poems 1766

Headnote: "A poem from the time when Furu no Tamuke no Sukune withdrew to the province of Tsukushi"
If only his wife were a bracelet, the speaker says, he could wear her on his precious left hand and take her with him. Likening her to an ornament worn on the body, he expresses his wish never to be parted from her.
According to the headnote, this poem dates from when Furu no Tamuke no Sukune went down to Tsukushi. The section of love poems begins here.
The author, Furu no Tamuke no Sukune, is otherwise unknown.

The first line, "if only my love," addresses his beloved wife.
The second line, "were a bracelet on my arm," uses namu, a wish directed at another. The poem pauses here.
The third line, "then upon my left," reflects the ancient esteem for the left over the right.
The fourth line, "on my dearest, inmost hand," renders oku no te, the treasured hand, meaning the left.
The final line, "I would wear her as I go," uses the counterfactual mashi with the adversative o, expressing regret.
Author: Furu no Tamuke no Sukune
Source: Manyoshu
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