Murasaki no obi no musubi mo toki mo mizu motona ya imo ni koiwatarinamu

紫の帯の結びも解きもみず
もとなや妹に恋ひわたりなむ

Roma-ji: Murasaki no obi no musubi mo toki mo mizu motona ya imo ni koiwatarinamu
English Translation: Her purple sash,
the knot that ties it fast,
I've never loosened,
must I, all in vain, go on
longing for my love
Meaning: Without ever loosening the knot of her purple sash, must I go on longing for her in vain?
Commentary: Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts through Things 2974

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts through Things"
A man laments that, never having loosened his beloved's purple sash, he must go on longing in vain. Loosening the sash signified sleeping together, so the poem expresses the frustration of a love not yet consummated.
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, "murasaki no," means "purple-dyed."
Line two, "obi no musubi mo," means "the knot of the sash."
Line three, "toki mo mizu," means "without untying it," implying "without sleeping together." The poem pauses here.
Line four, "motona ya imo ni": "motona" means "in vain, helplessly."
Line five, "koiwatarinamu," means "must I go on longing?"
Author: Unknown
Source: Manyoshu
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