Ukanerau tomiyama yuki no ichishiroku koiba imo ga na hito shiramu ka mo

うかねらふ跡見山雪のいちしろく
恋ひば妹が名人知らむかも

Roma-ji: Ukanerau tomiyama yuki no ichishiroku koiba imo ga na hito shiramu ka mo
English Translation: Watching for the trail,
on Mount Tomi lies the snow,
plain for all to see—
if I love so openly,
will they learn my darling's name?
Meaning: If I love as plainly as the snow on Mount Tomi, where hunters watch for tracks, will people come to know my beloved's name?
Commentary: Book Ten Winter Love Poems 2346

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Love Expressed Through Snow"
This poem fears that if the speaker loves as conspicuously as the snow on Mount Tomi, the beloved's name will become known to others. It shows a heart trying to keep love hidden to protect the beloved's name. Like the white snow of Yonabari in 2339, it draws "ichishiroku" from the whiteness of snow to sing of hidden love.

The first line, "ukanerau," is a pillow word for "Tomi," from watching for game's tracks.
In the second line, "tomiyama yuki no," Mount Tomi is thought to be a mountain in Yamato; the line is hypermetric and the upper lines form a preface leading into "ichishiroku."
The third line, "ichishiroku," means plainly.
In the fourth line, "koiba imo ga na," "ba" marks a supposition: if I love, my beloved's name.
In the last line, "hito shiramu ka mo," "mu" is conjecture and "ka mo" a question tinged with exclamation.
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Amagirai furikuru yuki no kenamedomo kimi ni awamu to nagaraewataru
Next Poem: Amaobune hatsuse no yama ni furu yuki no kenagaku koishi kimi ga oto zo suru