Murasaki o kusa to wakuwaku fusu shika no no wa koto ni shite kokoro wa oyaji

紫草を草と別く別く伏す鹿の
野は異にして心は同じ

Roma-ji: Murasaki o kusa to wakuwaku fusu shika no no wa koto ni shite kokoro wa oyaji
English Translation: Like the deer that lie
choosing the purple gromwell
from among the grass,
though the moors we dwell in differ,
our hearts are one and the same
Meaning: Like deer that choose the purple gromwell from among the grasses to lie down in, though we live on different moors, our hearts are the same.
Commentary: Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts through Things 3099

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts through Things"
Using deer that choose purple gromwell to lie in as an introduction, the poet sings that though they live apart, their hearts are one. It expresses trust that their hearts are connected despite the distance.
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, "murasaki o," means "the purple gromwell," whose roots yield purple dye.
Line two, "kusa to wakuwaku," means "distinguishing it from the other grasses."
Line three, "fusu shika no," means "like the deer that lie down," and the lines up to here form an introduction.
Line four, "no wa koto ni shite," means "though the moors differ."
Line five, "kokoro wa oyaji," means "our hearts are the same," read "oyaji" in the kana line, saying that their hearts are one though they live apart.
Author: Unknown
Source: Manyoshu
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