Kurenai no kozome no kinu o shita ni kiba hito no miraku ni nioi idemu kamo

紅の深染めの衣を下に着ば
人の見らくににほひ出でむかも

Roma-ji: Kurenai no kozome no kinu o shita ni kiba hito no miraku ni nioi idemu kamo
English Translation: If a robe dyed deep
in the crimson safflower
I should wear beneath,
when people's eyes fall on me,
would its color glow through?
Meaning: If I wore beneath my clothes a robe dyed deep crimson, would its color glow through when people looked at me?
Commentary: Book Eleven Love Poems Ancient and Modern I 2828

Headnote: "Metaphorical Poems"
If a robe dyed deep crimson were worn underneath, would its color glow through when people looked? The poem likens a deep love hidden in the heart to a crimson robe worn beneath, and voices the fear that, however concealed, the feeling will show itself to others.
The headnote "Metaphorical Poems" names a category of poems that do not state their feelings directly but suggest them through comparison with things, and Book Eleven's metaphorical poems begin here. Their left notes record what each poem uses as its figure, as in "expressing feelings through a robe," and by the note "the two poems above express feelings through a robe" this poem and the next are poems on garments. Opening with the same "kurenai no" as the preceding poem, 2827, it bridges the exchange poems and the metaphorical poems with the shared material of a crimson-dyed garment.
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, "kurenai no": "of crimson," the vivid red of safflower dye. Beginning with the same word as the preceding poem, it presents a color suggesting a burning love.
Second line, "kozome no kinu o": "a robe dyed deep." The depth of the dye stands for the depth of feeling.
Third line, "shita ni kiba": "if I wear it underneath." "Ki" is the irrealis form of the upper monograde verb "kiru," and "ba" makes it a supposition. Wearing it beneath is a figure for keeping love hidden in the heart.
Fourth line, "hito no miraku ni": "when people look." "Miraku" is the nominalized ku-form of "miru," meaning "the act of seeing," and shows concern for others' eyes.
Fifth line, "nioi idemu kamo": "will its color glow through?" "Niou" means for a color to shine forth, "mu" is conjectural, and "kamo" is an exclamation tinged with doubt, expressing fear that a hidden love will become known. The line has eight syllables, one in excess.
Source: Manyoshu
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