Wasuregusa kaki mo shimimi ni uetaredo shiko no shikokusa nao koinikeri

忘れ草垣もしみみに植ゑたれど
醜の醜草なほ恋ひにけり

Roma-ji: Wasuregusa kaki mo shimimi ni uetaredo shiko no shikokusa nao koinikeri
English Translation: The grass of forgetting
I planted thick along my fence,
but, worthless weed,
you good-for-nothing grass,
I'm still in love regardless
Meaning: I planted the grass of forgetting thick along my fence, but that worthless, useless weed, I still find myself in love.
Commentary: Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts through Things 3062

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts through Things"
Though the poet planted the grass of forgetting thickly along the fence, love does not fade, and the poet curses it as a worthless weed. Taking out frustration on an ineffective plant, the poem combines humor with the pain of 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, "wasuregusa," is the daylily thought to make one forget sorrow, following its appearance in poem 3060 in this book.
Line two, "kaki mo shimimi ni," means "thick along the fence."
Line three, "uetaredo," means "though I planted it."
Line four, "shiko no shikokusa," curses the grass as "worthless, wretched weed," doubling "shiko" for emphasis.
Line five, "nao koinikeri," means "I still found myself in love," the same final line as poem 2845 in this book.
Author: Unknown
Source: Manyoshu
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