Ikaho seyo nakanaka shinani omoidoro kuma koso shitsu to wasure senau mo

伊香保せよ奈可中次下思ひどろ
くまこそしつと忘れせなふも

Roma-ji: Ikaho seyo nakanaka shinani omoidoro kuma koso shitsu to wasure senau mo
English Translation: O Ikaho love,
nakanaka shinani—
though I long for you,
of all the depths we shared, they say,
I will not forget at all.
Meaning: My love of Ikaho—(the second line cannot be read)—though I long for you, I will never forget all that we gave to each other.
Commentary: Book Fourteen Azuma Poems 3419

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Sōmon (Love Exchanges)"
It is understood as a poem calling to a lover of Ikaho and vowing never to forget their deep love, but its second line cannot be deciphered. Even the overall meaning remains unsettled, and it is known as one of the most difficult poems in the Man'yōshū.
It is one of the Kōzuke poems. The second line, "Nakachūjige" in its original characters, has never had a settled reading, and the kana reading line is missing. The romanization here follows the Kan'ei printed edition's reading, "nakanaka shinani."
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, "ikaho seyo": Some take this as the place name Ikaho with "se" added, calling "my man of Ikaho." The Ikaho poems continue.
Second line, "nakanaka shinani": A line handed down only in its original characters and undeciphered; the Kan'ei edition reads "nakanaka shinani," but no view is settled.
Third line, "omoidoro": Some take "doro" as an eastern form of "domo," meaning "though I think of you."
Fourth line, "kuma koso shitsu to": "Kuma" is read by some as every corner, the full measure of love; "koso" intensifies.
Final line, "wasure senau mo": "Nau" is an eastern negative: I will not forget. "Mo" is exclamatory.
Source: Manyoshu
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