Uramo naku waga yuku michi ni aoyagi no harite tatereba monomoi detsumo

うらもなく我が行く道に青柳の
張りて立てれば物思ひ出つも

Roma-ji: Uramo naku waga yuku michi ni aoyagi no harite tatereba monomoi detsumo
English Translation: Without a care,
along the road where I go,
the green willow stands,
budding there so fresh and new—
and thoughts come welling up in me.
Meaning: As I went along my way without a thought in mind, a green willow stood there bursting into bud—and all my longing welled up.
Commentary: Book Fourteen Azuma Poems 3443

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Miscellaneous Poems"
Walking idly along the road, the singer sees a willow standing in fresh bud, and suddenly thoughts of home or a beloved well up. The fresh green of a spring willow unexpectedly stirring the heart is vividly drawn.
It is one of the miscellaneous poems. The willow was often sung as an image recalling the capital or home, and there was a custom of offering a willow twig at parting.
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, "uramo naku": "Ura" is the heart: without a thought.
Second line, "waga yuku michi ni": The road the singer is walking along.
Third line, "aoyagi no": A willow in bud, an image of spring.
Fourth line, "harite tatereba": "Haru" means to bud, and "ba" marks an established condition.
Final line, "monomoi detsumo": "Monomoi detsu" means thoughts have welled up, with "mo" exclamatory.
Source: Manyoshu
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