Awanaku wa shika mo arinamu tamazusa no tsukai o dani mo machi ya kanetemu

逢はなくはしかもありなむ玉梓の
使をだにも待ちやかねてむ

Roma-ji: Awanaku wa shika mo arinamu tamazusa no tsukai o dani mo machi ya kanetemu
English Translation: That we do not meet,
that I can bear, but must I
even pine and wait
in vain for a messenger
bearing words from you
Meaning: I can bear not meeting you, but must I even pine in vain for a messenger from you?
Commentary: Book Twelve Dialogue Poems 3103

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Dialogue Poems"
A woman resents a lover who sends no word, saying that even if they cannot meet, he should at least send a messenger. With the man's reply in the next poem, it forms a question-and-answer pair.
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, "awanaku wa," is the nominalized form of "awazu," meaning "not meeting."
Line two, "shika mo arinamu," means "that may be so," and the poem pauses here.
Line three, "tamazusa no," is a pillow word for "tsukai," messenger. Poem 2945 in this book uses the same pillow word.
Line four, "tsukai o dani mo," means "even a messenger."
Line five, "machi ya kanetemu," means "must I pine in waiting?", showing resentment toward one who sends not even a messenger.
Author: Unknown
Source: Manyoshu
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