Konogoro no i no neraenu wa shikitae no tamakura makite nemaku hori koso

このころの寐の寝らえぬは敷栲の
手枕まきて寝まく欲りこそ

Roma-ji: Konogoro no i no neraenu wa shikitae no tamakura makite nemaku hori koso
English Translation: These nights of late
that I can find no sleep
is all because I long
to lie upon your arm
as a pillow through the night
Meaning: The reason I cannot sleep these nights is simply that I long to lie with my head pillowed on your arm.
Commentary: Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts Directly 2844

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts Directly"
The poet explains for himself why he cannot sleep and frankly states his wish to sleep pillowed on his lover's arm. As if answering the preceding poem's "without winding her in my arms," the longing for a shared pillow continues.
Kakinomoto no Hitomaro was a court poet who served under Empress Jitō and Emperor Monmu. The left note shows that this poem was taken from the Kakinomoto no Hitomaro Collection, though scholars differ on whether it is Hitomaro's own work or a song he recorded.

Line one, "konogoro no," means "of these days."
Line two, "i no neraenu wa": "i" is a noun meaning sleep, and "neraenu" is the negative of the potential auxiliary "rayu," meaning "cannot sleep."
Line three, "shikitae no," is a pillow word leading to "tamakura," the arm-pillow.
Line four, "tamakura makite," means sleeping with one's head on the lover's arm.
Line five, "nemaku hori koso": "nemaku" is the nominalized form of "nemu," so the line means "precisely because I wish to sleep so." Breaking off with "koso" gives strong emphasis to the reason.
Author: Kakinomoto no Hitomaro Collection
Source: Manyoshu
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