Ashigaki no sue kakiwakete kimi koyu to hito ni na tsuge so koto wa tana shire

葦垣の末かき分けて君越ゆと
人にな告げそ事はたな知れ

Roma-ji: Ashigaki no sue kakiwakete kimi koyu to hito ni na tsuge so koto wa tana shire
English Translation: Parting the tips
of the woven reed fence,
my love comes over—
do not tell anyone of it;
understand how matters stand
Meaning: Do not tell anyone that my lover comes over the reed fence, parting its top—you must understand how things are.
Commentary: Book Thirteen Love Poems 3279

Headnote: "Envoy"
This is the envoy to the chōka (3278). She asks that no one be told of the lover who slips over the reed fence, urging that the situation be understood. The chōka is a woman’s song calling on the dog not to bark at the lord she awaits with the bed spread, and the envoy too seems addressed to that dog. It portrays the tension of a love hidden from others in the humorous form of a word to the dog.
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, “ashigaki no,” is a fence woven of reeds, the enclosure of a humble house.
In the second line, “sue” is the top edge of the fence, picturing the lover parting it to steal in.
The third line, “kimi koyu to,” means “that my lord comes over,” the particle “to” marking what is told.
The fourth line, “hito ni na tsuge so,” is a prohibition with “na … so”: “do not tell anyone,” pleading strongly; the poem breaks here.
In the closing line, “tana” means fully, and the imperative “shire” ends the poem: “understand the matter well.”
Source: Manyoshu
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