相思はずあるものをかも菅の根の
ねもころごろに我が思へるらむ
ねもころごろに我が思へるらむ
- Roma-ji
-
Aiomowazu aru mono o kamo suga no ne no nemokorogoro ni waga moeru ramu
- English Translation
-
Though you do not
love me as I love you,
why then, like
the sedge's tangled roots,
do I love you so devotedly
- Meaning
- Though you do not love me in return, why do I love you so devotedly, like the deep-tangled roots of sedge?
- Commentary
-
Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts through Things 3054
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts through Things"
The poet laments an unrequited love, asking why one loves so devotedly when the beloved does not return the feeling. Among the sedge poems, it voices the pain of one-sided love.
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, "aiomowazu," means "without mutual love," the same opening as poem 2933 in this book.
Line two, "aru mono o kamo," means "though it is so," with "kamo" a question corresponding to "ramu" in line five.
Line three, "suga no ne no," is a pillow word leading to "nemokoro."
Line four, "nemokorogoro ni," means "so earnestly," the same line as in poem 2857 in this book.
Line five, "waga moeru ramu," means "why do I love you so?", read "waga moeru ramu" in the kana line, lamenting an unrequited love.
- Author
- Unknown
- Source
- Manyoshu
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Ashihiki no yamasuge no ne no nemokoro ni yamazu omowaba imo ni awamu kamo
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Yamasuge no yamazute kimi o omoe kamo aga kokorodo no konogoro wa naki