Kasugano ni tereru yūhi no yoso nomi ni kimi o aimite ima zo kuyashiki

春日野に照れる夕日の外のみに
君を相見て今ぞ悔しき

Roma-ji: Kasugano ni tereru yūhi no yoso nomi ni kimi o aimite ima zo kuyashiki
English Translation: Like the evening sun
shining on Kasuga Moor,
only from afar
I looked upon you then,
and now how I regret it
Meaning: Like the evening sun shining on Kasuga Moor, I only saw you from afar, and now I regret it.
Commentary: Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts through Things 3001

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts through Things"
The poet regrets having only gazed from afar, as one watches the evening sun on Kasuga Moor, without drawing near. The beautiful scene of the sunset impresses on us the longing for someone out of reach.
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, "Kasugano ni," means "on Kasuga Moor," the plain at the foot of Mount Kasuga in Nara.
Line two, "tereru yūhi no," means "of the shining evening sun," and with line one it forms an introduction leading from the distant sunset to "yoso nomi ni."
Line three, "yoso nomi ni," means "only from afar."
Line four, "kimi o aimite," means "seeing you."
Line five, "ima zo kuyashiki": "zo" is concluded by the attributive "kuyashiki," regretting now not having drawn near.
Author: Unknown
Source: Manyoshu
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