Shirotae no tamoto yutakeku hito no nuru umai wa nezu ya koiwatarinamu

白栲の手本ゆたけく人の寝る
味寐は寝ずや恋ひわたりなむ

Roma-ji: Shirotae no tamoto yutakeku hito no nuru umai wa nezu ya koiwatarinamu
English Translation: With white sleeves
spread out at ease, as others
lie down to sleep,
must I, without such sweet sleep,
go on and on in longing
Meaning: Others sleep soundly, their white sleeves spread out at ease; must I go on longing, never knowing such sweet sleep?
Commentary: Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts Directly 2963

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts Directly"
The poet laments that while others sleep soundly and at ease, the poet cannot sleep well and must go on longing. It contrasts others' restful sleep with the poet's sleeplessness. With this poem, the section "Expressing Thoughts Directly" by unnamed poets comes to an end.
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, "shirotae no," is a pillow word for "tamoto," sleeve.
Line two, "tamoto yutakeku," means "with sleeves spread out at ease."
Line three, "hito no nuru," means "as others sleep."
Line four, "umai wa nezu ya": "umai" is sweet, deep sleep, so the line means "without sleeping such a sleep."
Line five, "koiwatarinamu," means "shall I go on longing?"
Author: Unknown
Source: Manyoshu
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