Kasugano ni asaji shime yui taeme ya to waga omou hito wa iya tōnaga ni

春日野に浅茅標結ひ絶えめやと
我が思ふ人はいや遠長に

Roma-ji: Kasugano ni asaji shime yui taeme ya to waga omou hito wa iya tōnaga ni
English Translation: On Kasuga Moor
I tied a marker in the reeds;
"could this ever end?"
so I think of you, my love,
may we last forever more
Meaning: I tied a marker in the low reeds on Kasuga Moor to claim them; you whom I think could never be lost to me, may our bond last ever longer.
Commentary: Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts through Things 3050

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts through Things"
Like tying a marker in the reeds on Kasuga Moor to claim them, the poet wishes for a bond that will never be broken. The act of tying a marker carries the wish to hold the beloved as one's own.
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." Poems 3001 and 3042 in this book also feature Kasuga Moor.
Line two, "asaji shime yui," means "tying a marker in the low reeds" to claim them as one's own.
Line three, "taeme ya to," means "thinking it could never end."
Line four, "waga omou hito wa," means "the one I love."
Line five, "iya tōnaga ni," means "ever longer," breaking off to wish for an eternal bond.
Author: Unknown
Source: Manyoshu
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