Nani yue ka omowazu aramu himo no o no kokoro ni irite kōshiki mono o

何ゆゑか思はずあらむ紐の緒の
心に入りて恋しきものを

Roma-ji: Nani yue ka omowazu aramu himo no o no kokoro ni irite kōshiki mono o
English Translation: For what reason
could I keep from thinking of you?
Like a cord's end
you have slipped into my heart,
and I long for you so
Meaning: How could I not think of you? Like the end of a cord slipped into its knot, you have entered my heart, and I long for you.
Commentary: Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts through Things 2977

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts through Things"
Just as the end of a cord slips into its knot, the beloved has entered deep into the heart, so the poet cannot help thinking of them. The image of the cord expresses a beloved who will not leave the heart.
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, "nani yue ka," means "for what reason."
Line two, "omowazu aramu," is a rhetorical question, "could I not think of you?", and the poem pauses here.
Line three, "himo no o no," is a pillow word for "kokoro ni iru," entering the heart, from the end of a cord slipping into its knot.
Line four, "kokoro ni irite," means "entering deep into my heart."
Line five, "kōshiki mono o," means "since I love you so," the adjective read "kohoshi" in the kana line.
Author: Unknown
Source: Manyoshu
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