Yuki koso ba haruhi kiyurame kokoro sae kieusetare ya koto mo kayowanu

雪こそば春日消ゆらめ心さへ
消え失せたれや言も通はぬ

Roma-ji: Yuki koso ba haruhi kiyurame kokoro sae kieusetare ya koto mo kayowanu
English Translation: Snow, it's true, will melt
and vanish in the days of spring,
but has your heart as well
melted clean away from me,
that no word comes back and forth?
Meaning: Snow may melt away in the spring sun, but has your heart too melted and vanished, that not a word passes between us?
Commentary: Book Nine Love Poems 1782

Headnote: "A poem given to his wife"
Snow may well melt in the spring sun, but has his wife's heart vanished too, the speaker complains, since no word comes from her? Comparing her silence to melting snow, he expresses anxiety and reproach at the broken-off messages.
According to the headnote, this poem was sent to his wife, and her reply follows in the next poem, 1783. According to the left note, these two poems come from the Hitomaro Collection.
The author, Kakinomoto no Hitomaro, was a court poet active in the reigns of Jitō and Monmu. This poem is taken from the Hitomaro Collection, which is thought to contain both Hitomaro's own poems and poems by others that he gathered.

The first line, "snow, it's true, will melt," uses koso with ba.
The second line, "and vanish in the days of spring," answers koso with the realis rame and continues with a concessive sense.
The third line, "but has your heart as well," sets the vanishing heart beside the vanishing snow.
The fourth line, "melted clean away from me," asks a question with ya.
The final line, "that no word comes back and forth?" answers ya with the attributive negative nu.
Author: Kakinomoto no Hitomaro
Source: Manyoshu
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