Shirotae no sode o hatsuhatsu mishi kara ni kakaru koi o mo are wa suru kamo

白栲の袖をはつはつ見しからに
かかる恋をも我れはするかも

Roma-ji: Shirotae no sode o hatsuhatsu mishi kara ni kakaru koi o mo are wa suru kamo
English Translation: Her sleeves white as cloth
of mulberry, just barely
I caught sight of them,
and yet a love like this one
am I now made to suffer
Meaning: I barely glimpsed her white sleeves, and for that alone I find myself caught in a love like this.
Commentary: Book Eleven Love Poems Ancient and Modern I 2411

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing One's Feelings Directly"
The speaker has seen only the faintest glimpse of the beloved's white sleeve, yet finds himself in a love this deep, and he speaks as if astonished at himself. The gap between so slight a cause and so deep a love expresses plainly a heart that has fallen in love unawares.
The preceding poem, 2410, speaks of feeling after sleeves have been exchanged, while this one speaks of a love begun by barely seeing a sleeve, so through the same image of the sleeve the beginning and the deepening of love stand in contrast.
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, "shirotae no": a pillow word attached to "sleeve." "Shirotae" is white cloth woven from paper-mulberry fiber and the like.
Second line, "sode o hatsuhatsu": "the sleeve, just barely." "Hatsuhatsu" means faintly, in a mere glimpse.
Third line, "mishi kara ni": "merely because I saw." "Kara ni" means "for that alone," stressing how slight the cause was.
Fourth line, "kakaru koi o mo": "even such a love as this." The particle "mo" points to the unexpected depth of the love.
Fifth line, "are wa suru kamo": "I do find myself in it." The final particle "kamo" expresses wonder, closing with the speaker's surprise at his own love.
Author: Kakinomoto no Hitomaro Collection
Source: Manyoshu
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