Amagumo no tayutai yasuki kokoro araba ware o na tanome so mataba kurushi mo

天雲のたゆたひやすき心あらば
我れをな頼めそ待たば苦しも

Roma-ji: Amagumo no tayutai yasuki kokoro araba ware o na tanome so mataba kurushi mo
English Translation: If your heart drifts
like the clouds of heaven,
easily swayed,
do not raise my hopes for you,
for waiting is such pain
Meaning: If your heart drifts as easily as the clouds in the sky, do not give me hope, for waiting is painful.
Commentary: Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts through Things 3031

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts through Things"
The poet tests the beloved's sincerity: if the heart drifts like clouds, do not give me hope, for waiting is painful. Continuing the clouds of the preceding poem, it likens a fickle heart to drifting clouds.
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, "amagumo no," means "like the clouds of heaven," continuing the clouds of the preceding poem.
Line two, "tayutai yasuki," means "easily drifting."
Line three, "kokoro araba," means "if you have such a heart."
Line four, "ware o na tanome so," means "do not give me hope," with "na ... so" expressing prohibition.
Line five, "mataba kurushi mo," means "for waiting is painful." Poem 3079 in this book ends with the same line.
Author: Unknown
Source: Manyoshu
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