Hito no miru ue wa musubite hito no minu shitahimo akete kouru hi zo ōki

人の見る上は結びて人の見ぬ
下紐開けて恋ふる日ぞ多き

Roma-ji: Hito no miru ue wa musubite hito no minu shitahimo akete kouru hi zo ōki
English Translation: Where people can see,
the outer cords I tie up tight;
where none can see,
I loosen my under-sash,
and many are my days of longing
Meaning: The cords others can see I keep neatly tied, but the under-sash no one sees I leave undone, and many are the days I spend longing for you.
Commentary: Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts through Things 2851

Headnote: "Expressing Thoughts through Things"
The poem portrays a love hidden from others: the outer cords that people see are kept tied, while the unseen under-sash is loosened in waiting for the lover. Drawing on the folk belief that a loosened under-sash meant a meeting with one's lover, it depicts a secret love through the contrast of outer and inner. The headnote, "Expressing Thoughts through Things," marks a category in which love is voiced through concrete objects such as robes and cords.
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, "hito no miru," means "where others see," and forms a parallel with "hito no minu" in line three.
Line two, "ue wa musubite," means "keeping the outer cords neatly tied," that is, keeping up an appearance that nothing is amiss.
Line three, "hito no minu," means "where none can see," in vivid contrast with line one.
Line four, "shitahimo akete," means "loosening the under-sash." There was a folk belief that a loosened under-sash meant one would meet one's lover, so the line shows the heart secretly awaiting a meeting.
Line five, "kouru hi zo ōki": the particle "zo" is concluded by the attributive form "ōki," a kakari-musubi construction, stating that many are the days of such hidden longing.
Author: Kakinomoto no Hitomaro Collection
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Utsutsu ni wa tada ni wa awazu ime ni dani au to mie koso aga kouraku ni
Next Poem: Hitogoto no shigeki toki ni wa wagimoko shi koromo ni ariseba shita ni kimashi o