Miyakohe ni kimi wa inishi o ta ga toke ka waga himo no o no yū te tayuki mo

都辺に君は去にしを誰が解けか
我が紐の緒の結ふ手たゆきも

Roma-ji: Miyakohe ni kimi wa inishi o ta ga toke ka waga himo no o no yū te tayuki mo
English Translation: Toward the capital
you have gone away, and yet
who loosens it,
this cord of mine, so that
my hands grow tired tying it
Meaning: You have gone off to the capital, yet who keeps loosening my cord, so that my hands are weary of tying it again?
Commentary: Book Twelve Poems Lamenting Parting 3183

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Poems Lamenting Parting"
A woman thinks of a man who has gone to the capital, singing that her cord keeps coming undone until her hands are tired of retying it. Drawing on the belief that a loosened cord meant one was being thought of, she senses the feelings of the one who left.
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, "miyakohe ni," means "toward the capital."
Line two, "kimi wa inishi o," means "though you have gone."
Line three, "ta ga toke ka," means "who unties it?", drawing on the belief that a loosened cord meant one was being thought of.
Line four, "waga himo no o no," means "the cord of my robe."
Line five, "yū te tayuki mo," means "my hands grow weary of tying it," showing the cord coming loose again and again.
Author: Unknown
Source: Manyoshu
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