Waga yado no akihagi no ue ni oku tsuyu no ichishiroku shi mo are koime ya mo

我が宿の秋萩の上に置く露の
いちしろくしも我れ恋ひめやも

Roma-ji: Waga yado no akihagi no ue ni oku tsuyu no ichishiroku shi mo are koime ya mo
English Translation: At my own dwelling
on the autumn clover there
the dewdrops that lie—
plain as they are, clear to see,
would I ever show my love?
Meaning: Like the dew lying on the autumn bush clover at my home, so plain to see—would I ever love so openly? Never.
Commentary: Book Ten Autumn Love Poems 2255

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Love Expressed Through Dew"
This poem says the speaker will never reveal love so openly that it catches others' eyes, as dew on the autumn bush clover at home stands out plainly. The sparkle of the dew in the upper lines leads into "ichishiroku," plainly, showing the heart of a hidden love that will not be known. Like the summer love poem 1993, which resolved to go on loving without showing it like the safflower's color, it sings of a resolve not to reveal love.

The first line, "of my dwelling," names the place.
The second line, "on the autumn bush clover," is hypermetric.
The third line, "like the dew that lies," with the upper lines forming a preface leading into "ichishiroku."
In the fourth line, "ichishiroku shi mo," "ichishiroshi" means plain and conspicuous, and "shi" and "mo" are emphatic.
In the last line, "are koime ya mo," "me ya mo" is rhetorical: would I love so? never.
Source: Manyoshu
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