Ominaeshi sakino ni ouru shiratsutsuji shiranu koto mochi iwaeshi waga se

をみなへし佐紀野に生ふる白つつじ
知らぬこともち言はえし我が背

Roma-ji: Ominaeshi sakino ni ouru shiratsutsuji shiranu koto mochi iwaeshi waga se
English Translation: Maiden-flower land,
on the fields of Saki grow
white azalea blooms—
for things you never knew of
they spoke of you, my husband.
Meaning: Like the white azaleas that grow on the fields of Saki, for things you knew nothing of, people have spread talk about you, my dear.
Commentary: Book Ten Spring Love Poems 1905

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Love Expressed Through Flowers"
This poem feels for a beloved who has been made the subject of rumor over things he had nothing to do with. "Shiratsutsuji," white azalea, in the upper lines leads through its sound into "shiranu," not knowing, as a preface, and the purity of the white flower blooming in the spring fields suggests his innocence. There is also a lament that rumor hinders love.

The first line, "ominaeshi," is a pillow word attached to "Saki," leading into "saki" from the blooming of maiden-flowers.
In the second line, "growing on Saki Plain," Saki Plain lies north of the Heijō capital.
The third line, "white azaleas," serves as a preface leading into the homophonous "shiranu," not knowing.
The fourth line, "shiranu koto mochi," means using things unknown, that is, on the pretext of matters he knew nothing of.
In the last line, "iwaeshi waga se," "e" is passive and "shi" the attributive of the past "ki," closing with an address to the beloved who was talked about.
Source: Manyoshu
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