Masurao no satoki kokoro mo ima wa nashi koi no yatsuko ni ware wa shinubeshi

ますらをの聡き心も今はなし
恋の奴に我れは死ぬべし

Roma-ji: Masurao no satoki kokoro mo ima wa nashi koi no yatsuko ni ware wa shinubeshi
English Translation: The clear, wise heart
of a strong and manly man
I have no longer;
by that wretch of a thing called love
I shall surely be done to death
Meaning: The keen mind of a true man is gone from me now; I will surely die at the hands of that wretch called love.
Commentary: Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts Directly 2907

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts Directly"
The poet laments having lost a manly good sense and expects to die because of that wretch, love. Its distinctive feature is the playful personification of love as a lowly servant.
The poet is unknown. Book Twelve, titled the second part of "Love Poems Exchanged Old and New," gathers love poems by people whose names have not come down to us, arranged by category.

Line one, "masurao no," means "of a manly man." Poem 2875 in this book also laments the loss of a hero's manly spirit.
Line two, "satoki kokoro mo," means "a wise and steady mind."
Line three, "ima wa nashi," means "is gone now," and the poem pauses here.
Line four, "koi no yatsuko ni," means "by the wretch called love," personifying love as a lowly creature that torments people.
Line five, "ware wa shinubeshi," means "I shall surely die."
Author: Unknown
Source: Manyoshu
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