Masurao no utsushi gokoro mo ware wa nashi yoru hiru to iwazu koishi watareba

ますらをの現し心も我れはなし
夜昼といはず恋ひしわたれば

Roma-ji: Masurao no utsushi gokoro mo ware wa nashi yoru hiru to iwazu koishi watareba
English Translation: The steadfast spirit
proper to a man of strength,
I have none of it;
never minding night or day,
I go on, longing for you
Meaning: The steady heart of a stalwart man I no longer have, for I go on longing for you, never minding whether it is night or day.
Commentary: Book Eleven Love Poems Ancient and Modern I 2376

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing One's Feelings Directly"
Because he goes on loving night and day, the speaker laments, he has lost even the steady heart of a man of valor. Through the gap between the brave man he ought to be and one who loses his senses to love, the poem shows the power of love.
The headnote continues from the preceding poem, "Expressing One's Feelings Directly." The word "masurao" also appears in poem 2386, where a man strong enough to pass through rock is said to have regretted love. The pairing of the valiant man and love recurs within this group.
The author is unknown; according to the left note, the poem comes from the Kakinomoto no Hitomaro Collection. That collection is thought to contain both Hitomaro's own poems and poems by others that he recorded. Kakinomoto no Hitomaro was a court poet active in the reigns of Empress Jito and Emperor Monmu, and is counted among the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets.

First line, "masurao no": "masurao" means a brave and noble man. The speaker uses it of himself, showing that he is one who takes pride in his manhood.
Second line, "utsushi gokoro mo": "utsushi gokoro" means a sound mind, a steady everyday heart. The particle "mo" carries the sense of "even that."
Third line, "ware wa nashi": "I have none." The poem pauses here after the third line, and the closing lines give the reason afterward in inverted order.
Fourth line, "yoru hiru to iwazu": "whether night or day." A line with an extra syllable, it conveys love that never ceases.
Fifth line, "koishi watareba": "because I go on loving." "Watare" is the realis form of "wataru," and with "ba" it expresses cause, giving the reason for "nashi" in the third line.
Author: Kakinomoto no Hitomaro Collection
Source: Manyoshu
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