Hitori nomi mireba kōshimi kamunabi no yama no momichiba taori keri kimi

ひとりのみ見れば恋しみ神なびの
山の黄葉手折り来り君

Roma-ji: Hitori nomi mireba kōshimi kamunabi no yama no momichiba taori keri kimi
English Translation: Gazing all alone,
I would only long the more—
so from the sacred hill
the yellowed leaves of autumn
you have plucked and brought, my love
Meaning: Because gazing at them alone would only stir my longing, you broke off the autumn leaves of the sacred hill and brought them to me—you, my love.
Commentary: Book Thirteen Miscellaneous Poems 3224

Headnote: "Envoy"
This is the envoy to the chōka (3223). It voices delight and affection toward someone who, unwilling to admire the autumn leaves of the sacred hill alone, broke off a branch and brought it home. In the chōka, a gentle maiden plucks the yellow leaves of the sacred zelkova to carry them “for your hair ornament”; the envoy reverses this, so that it is “you” who brings the leaves. The giver and the receiver trade places, and the pair is thought to have been sung as a celebratory exchange at a banquet.
The poet is unknown. Book Thirteen is built mainly of anonymous chōka and their envoys, and many of its poems preserve the air of old songs and ritual verse.

The first line, “hitori nomi” (all alone), sets out at once the wish for someone to share beauty with.
In the second line, “koshimi” adds the suffix “mi” to the stem of the adjective “koshi” (longing), giving the sense “because I long.” Here it is read “kōshimi.”
The third line, “kamunabi no,” names the hill where a god dwells, echoing the same word in the chōka’s “the pure sacred field-hut of Kamunabi.”
The fourth line, “yama no momichiba,” refers to the colored leaves of the sacred hill and takes up the chōka’s “autumn leaves.” The Man’yōshū often writes “momichi” with the characters for “yellow leaf.”
In the closing line, “keri” (written “to come”) means “has come,” confirming that the branch has been brought. Ending on the noun “kimi” (you), the poem directs its joy to the beloved himself.
Source: Manyoshu
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