Ashihiki no yamasawabito no hito sawa ni mana to iu ko ga ayani kanashisa

あしひきの山沢人の人さはに
まなと言ふ子があやに愛しさ

Roma-ji: Ashihiki no yamasawabito no hito sawa ni mana to iu ko ga ayani kanashisa
English Translation: Foot-dragging mountains—
the folk who dwell by valley streams,
many though they be,
the girl they all call "darling"—
oh, how dear she is to me!
Meaning: The folk of the mountain streams are many, and the girl they all call darling—how unbearably dear she is to me!
Commentary: Book Fourteen Azuma Poems 3462

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Sōmon (Love Exchanges)"
The girl whom all the many people of the mountain streams call darling is unbearably dear to the singer. Love for a girl everyone adores mingles with frustration at the many rivals.
It is one of the love exchanges. Repeating "hito" and "sawa," its interlocking sounds create a light rhythm.
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, "ashihiki no": A pillow word for "mountain."
Second line, "yamasawabito no": People living by mountain streams.
Third line, "hito sawa ni": "Sawa" means many, picking up "hito" from the second line. The first three lines lead almost as a preface to "hito sawa ni."
Fourth line, "mana to iu ko ga": "Mana" is thought to mean darling: the girl everyone calls sweet.
Final line, "ayani kanashisa": "Ayani" means beyond reason, and the noun ending "kanashisa" closes: oh, how dear.
Source: Manyoshu
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