Michi no he no ichishi no hana no ichishiroku hito mina shirinu a ga koizuma wa

道の辺のいちしの花のいちしろく
人皆知りぬ我が恋妻は

Roma-ji: Michi no he no ichishi no hana no ichishiroku hito mina shirinu a ga koizuma wa
English Translation: Like the ichishi
flowering along the road,
so conspicuous,
everyone has come to know
of the wife I love so dear
Meaning: Like the ichishi flowers blooming by the roadside, plain for all to see, everyone has come to know of the wife I love.
Commentary: Book Eleven Love Poems Ancient and Modern I 2480

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Feelings through Things"
Calling up "ichishiroku" (conspicuously) from the "ichishi" of a flower blooming boldly by the roadside, the poem says that the speaker's beloved wife has become plainly known to all. It holds both surprise and dismay that a hidden love has been laid bare to others' eyes.
This is one of the poems "Expressing Feelings through Things," a love poem set upon a flower. Its fourth line, "hito mina shirinu," is the same as the fourth line of poem 2468 of this book, and the two form a pair in using a plant's name as a preface to speak of a love that has become known. Its first line, "michi no he no," is also the same as the first line of poem 2467, sharing the device of a roadside flower.
The original text carries a variant note: "one book's version reads 'ichishiroku hito shirinikeri tsugite shi omoeba.'" This version gives the third line onward as "plainly have people come to know, for I think of you without cease," but here the main text is followed.
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, "michi no he no": "by the side of the road."
Second line, "ichishi no hana no": "of the ichishi flower." The ichishi is most commonly thought to be the red spider lily. The first two lines form a preface, leading through the repeated sound "ichishi" to the following "ichishiroku."
Third line, "ichishiroku": "plainly, conspicuously," overlaying the flower standing out by the road with a love become evident to all.
Fourth line, "hito mina shirinu": "everyone has come to know." "Nu" is a perfective auxiliary; the poem pauses here and stands in inverted order with the fifth line.
Fifth line, "a ga koizuma wa": "of my beloved wife." Through the inversion, the person now known to all is revealed only at the end, leaving a lingering resonance.
Author: Kakinomoto no Hitomaro Collection
Source: Manyoshu
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