Ashigara no otemo konomo ni sasu wana no kanaru mashizumi koro are himo toku

足柄のをてもこのもにさすわなの
かなるましづみ子ろ我れ紐解く

Roma-ji: Ashigara no otemo konomo ni sasu wana no kanaru mashizumi koro are himo toku
English Translation: On Ashigara,
here and there on the slopes
the traps have been set:
while their clappers are hushed,
my girl and I undo our cords.
Meaning: While the clappers of the traps set here and there on Ashigara's slopes lie still, my girl and I untie our sashes.
Commentary: Book Fourteen Azuma Poems 3361

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Sōmon (Love Exchanges)"
While the clappers of the traps set all over Ashigara are silent, the singer and his girl undo their sashes and lie together. Through an image rooted in hunting life, the tension and joy of a hidden meeting come through.
From this poem the next twelve are from Sagami Province, present-day Kanagawa, as the left note says: "The twelve poems above are from Sagami Province." Many sing of Ashigara, showing how the Ashigara pass was felt as the border into the east.
The poet is unknown. The Azuma uta are thought to have been sung among the people of the eastern provinces, and they are marked by plain, open-hearted expression mixed with local dialect.

First line, "ashigara no": Mount Ashigara in Sagami. Ashigara appears in the first Sagami poem and returns in 3363, 3364, 3367, and 3368.
Second line, "otemo konomo ni": "Otemo" is the far face and "konomo" the near face: here and there. Poem 3393 of this book uses the same phrase.
Third line, "sasu wana no": "Sasu" means to set, here traps for game. The first three lines form a preface.
Fourth line, "kanaru mashizumi": "Kanaru" is thought to be the rattling of trap clappers, and "mashizumi" the lull when it stills. Some see in it also the hush of village gossip.
Final line, "koro are himo toku": "Koro" is an affectionate address, and "untying cords" means lying together.
Source: Manyoshu
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