Azumaji no tego no yobisaka koegane te yama ni ka nemu mo yadori wa nashi ni

東道の手児の呼坂越えがねて
山にか寝むも宿りはなしに

Roma-ji: Azumaji no tego no yobisaka koegane te yama ni ka nemu mo yadori wa nashi ni
English Translation: On the eastern road,
at Tego's Calling Slope,
unable to cross,
must I sleep upon the hills,
with no shelter for the night?
Meaning: Unable to cross the Calling Slope of Tego on the eastern road, must I sleep on the mountain, with no lodging at all?
Commentary: Book Fourteen Azuma Poems 3442

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Miscellaneous Poems"
Unable to get over the Calling Slope of Tego on the road to the east, a traveler fears he must spend the night in the mountains with no shelter. The steep slope and the dread of sleeping in the open convey the loneliness of the road.
It is one of the miscellaneous poems. The Calling Slope of Tego is thought to be a pass in Suruga, perhaps near present-day Shimizu in Shizuoka City. "Azumaji no tego no yobisaka" is also sung in 3477 of this book.
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, "azumaji no": The road leading to the east; 3477 of this book opens the same way.
Second line, "tego no yobisaka": Thought to be the name of a slope tied to a legend of a maiden calling out.
Third line, "koegane te": "Gane te" is an eastern form of "kanete," unable to cross.
Fourth line, "yama ni ka nemu mo": "Ka" is an interrogative binding particle answered by "mu," and "mo" is exclamatory.
Final line, "yadori wa nashi ni": "With no lodging," revealing through inversion the loneliness of sleeping out.
Source: Manyoshu
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