Shiramayumi Hida no hosoe no sugadori no imo ni koure ka i o nekanetsuru

白真弓斐太の細江の菅鳥の
妹に恋ふれか寐を寝かねつる

Roma-ji: Shiramayumi Hida no hosoe no sugadori no imo ni koure ka i o nekanetsuru
English Translation: Like the sedge-bird
by the narrow creek of Hida,
white-bow Hida,
is it that I love my darling
that I cannot fall asleep
Meaning: Like the sedge-bird by the narrow inlet at Hida, is it because I long for my beloved that I cannot sleep?
Commentary: Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts through Things 3092

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts through Things"
Using the sedge-bird by the inlet at Hida as an introduction, the poet wonders whether love for the beloved is why sleep will not come. Which bird the "sugadori" is remains unclear, but it is thought that a bird crying for its mate is overlaid with the poet.
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, "shiramayumi," a bow of plain white wood, is a pillow word for "Hida," through "hiku," to draw a bow.
Line two, "Hida no hosoe no," means "of the narrow inlet at Hida," whose location is debated.
Line three, "sugadori no," is taken to be a bird living among sedges, though which bird is unclear. The lines up to here are taken as an introduction leading to "imo ni kou."
Line four, "imo ni koure ka," means "is it because I long for her?", with "ka" a question concluded by the attributive "tsuru" in line five.
Line five, "i o nekanetsuru," means "I cannot sleep."
Author: Unknown
Source: Manyoshu
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