Ashihiki no yamata moru oji ga oku kai no shitakogare nomi a ga koi oramu

あしひきの山田守る翁が置く鹿火の
下焦れのみ我が恋ひ居らむ

Roma-ji: Ashihiki no yamata moru oji ga oku kai no shitakogare nomi a ga koi oramu
English Translation: Like the smoldering fire
set by the old man who guards
the mountain rice fields,
shall I only burn within
and keep on with my longing
Meaning: Like the deer-fire set by the old man who watches over the mountain rice fields, smoldering below, shall I only burn inwardly and go on longing?
Commentary: Book Eleven Love Poems Ancient and Modern I 2649

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Feelings through Things"
As the deer-fire set by an old man guarding the mountain fields smolders without bursting into flame, the speaker laments a love that burns unseen deep in the heart. Through a humble rural scene, the poem expresses the pain of a love that cannot be shown.
The first three lines are a preface in which the fire smoldering below leads to "shitakogare," burning within. After the ink cord of the preceding poem, this poem speaks through farm life, the old man guarding the fields, and the reed fires of Naniwa appear two poems later, so that poems on fire stand close together.
The author is unknown. The anonymous poems of Book Eleven gather the love poems of people whose names have not come down to us.

First line, "ashihiki no": a pillow word attached to "mountain."
Second line, "yamata moru oji ga": "the old man who guards the mountain fields" against birds and beasts. The line has eight syllables, one more than usual.
Third line, "oku kai no": "the deer-fire he sets." It is thought to be a fire lit to drive off deer and boars, though some take it as a smudge against mosquitoes. These three lines form a preface.
Fourth line, "shitakogare nomi": "only burning within," joining the fire smoldering below with a hidden love.
Fifth line, "a ga koi oramu": "shall I go on longing?" The conjectural "mu" expresses grief at a hidden love that will continue.
Source: Manyoshu
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