Momichiba no sugikatenu ko o hitozuma to mitsutsu ya aramu koishiki mono o

黄葉の過ぎかてぬ子を人妻と
見つつやあらむ恋しきものを

Roma-ji: Momichiba no sugikatenu ko o hitozuma to mitsutsu ya aramu koishiki mono o
English Translation: Like the crimson leaves
never passing from my mind,
her, another's wife—
must I only look at her,
though I long for her so much?
Meaning: Must I only look upon her as another man's wife—the girl who, like autumn leaves that will not fall, never leaves my heart—though I long for her so?
Commentary: Book Ten Autumn Love Poems 2297

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Love Expressed Through Autumn Leaves"
This poem laments whether the speaker must only look upon an unforgettable beloved girl as another's wife. "Momichiba no," autumn leaves, is a pillow word leading into "sugu," to pass away, singing of a love that will not leave the heart, like leaves that do not fall. Like "I am bound to fall in love, though she is another's wife" in 1999 of the Tanabata poems, it shows both hesitation and longing in love for another's wife.

The first line, "momichiba no," is a pillow word for "sugu," from leaves falling away.
In the second line, "sugikatenu ko o," "katenu" means unable: the girl I cannot let go.
The third line, "as another's wife," names her status.
In the fourth line, "mitsutsu ya aramu," "ya" is an interrogative particle in kakari-musubi with the attributive "mu": must I only look?
In the last line, "koishiki mono o," "mono o" is adversative and exclamatory: though I long for her.
Source: Manyoshu
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