Waga seko ga shirotaegoromo yukifureba nioinubeku mo momitsu yama ka mo

我が背子が白栲衣行き触れば
にほひぬべくももみつ山かも

Roma-ji: Waga seko ga shirotaegoromo yukifureba nioinubeku mo momitsu yama ka mo
English Translation: If my dearest's robe,
white as linen, snowy white,
should go and brush it,
it would surely take the hue—
oh, the mountain turned to red!
Meaning: So deeply colored is this mountain that my husband's white robe would surely be dyed if he went and brushed against it.
Commentary: Book Ten Autumn Miscellaneous Poems 2192

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "On Autumn Leaves"
This poem sings of a mountain so vividly colored that the husband's white robe would surely be dyed if it brushed against it. The contrast between the white robe and the leaves' color is vivid, and the depth of the foliage is expressed through the fancy that it would dye the robe. Like 2101, where bush clover dyed a robe, it applies the idea of plant color dyeing clothing to autumn leaves.

The first line, "waga seko ga," uses a woman's word for her husband or lover.
The second line, "the robe of white cloth," names the garment.
The third line, "if it goes and touches," uses "ba" for a supposition.
In the fourth line, "nioinubeku mo," "niou" means to be dyed and "nubeku" means would surely.
In the last line, "momitsu yama ka mo," "momitsu" means to turn color and "ka mo" is exclamatory.
Source: Manyoshu
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