Ashihiki no yamatachibana no iro ni idete a wa koinamu o hitome katami su na

あしひきの山橘の色に出でて
我は恋なむを人目難みすな

Roma-ji: Ashihiki no yamatachibana no iro ni idete a wa koinamu o hitome katami su na
English Translation: Like the mountain-foot
wild orange whose berries glow,
openly showing,
I will love, so do not shrink
from the eyes of those who watch
Meaning: Like the berries of the mountain orange that glow so plainly, I will love openly, so do not hold back for fear of others' eyes.
Commentary: Book Eleven Love Poems Ancient and Modern I 2767

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Feelings through Things"
Just as the red berries of the mountain orange stand out plainly, I mean to show my love openly, so you too must not hold back for fear of others' eyes: so the speaker calls out. Amid the many poems of hidden love, it shows a firm resolve to see love through without concealment.
The poems on grasses give way here to a poem on the berries of the mountain orange. The charm of the poem lies in overlaying the vivid red of berries that color in winter on a love that shows itself outwardly.
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 attaching to "mountain." It calls up the mountain scene and sets the rhythm of the poem.
Second line, "yamatachibana no": the mountain orange, yabukōji, which bears red berries in winter. The first two lines form a preface, the conspicuous color of the berries leading into "iro ni idete."
Third line, "iro ni idete": "showing it in my color," that is, revealing love in face and bearing. Running to six syllables, the line strongly asserts the will not to hide.
Fourth line, "a wa koinamu o": "I will surely love." "Na" is the emphatic auxiliary "nu" and "mu" expresses will, while the particle "o" carries the thought on to the next line.
Fifth line, "hitome katami su na": "do not hold back because of others' eyes." "Katami" is the stem of "katashi" with "mi," and "na" is prohibitive, closing with a strong appeal to the beloved.
Source: Manyoshu
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