Misago iru ariso ni ouru nanoriso no yoshi na wa noraji oya wa shiru tomo

みさご居る荒礒に生ふるなのりその
よし名は告らじ親は知るとも

Roma-ji: Misago iru ariso ni ouru nanoriso no yoshi na wa noraji oya wa shiru tomo
English Translation: Like the nanoriso
growing on the rocky shore
where the ospreys perch,
no, I will not tell the name,
even if my parents learn
Meaning: Unlike the nanoriso seaweed on the rocky shore where ospreys perch, I will never tell the name, even if my parents should find out.
Commentary: Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts through Things 3077

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts through Things"
Using the nanoriso on a rocky shore where ospreys perch as an introduction, the poet vows never to tell the name, a firm resolve to protect the love. Whereas the preceding poem comes after a name has been told, this one vows to keep it, and the two contrast.
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, "misago iru," means "where ospreys perch."
Line two, "ariso ni ouru," means "growing on the rocky shore."
Line three, "nanoriso no," is the seaweed hondawara, and the lines up to here form an introduction leading to "na noru." It continues the nanoriso of the preceding poem.
Line four, "yoshi na wa noraji," means "I will never tell the name," with "ji" expressing negative intention.
Line five, "oya wa shiru tomo," means "even if my parents learn of it," showing a firm will to protect the love by keeping the name secret.
Author: Unknown
Source: Manyoshu
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