Tōshi tou kona no shirane ni aoshida mo awanoe shida mo na ni koso yosare

遠しとふ故奈の白嶺に逢ほしだも
逢はのへしだも汝にこそ寄され

Roma-ji: Tōshi tou kona no shirane ni aoshida mo awanoe shida mo na ni koso yosare
English Translation: Far away, they say,
the white peak of Kona stands:
both when we meet
and when we do not meet at all,
it is with you my name is linked.
Meaning: Like the white peak of Kona, said to be so far, whether we meet or not, it is always with you my name is linked.
Commentary: Book Fourteen Azuma Poems 3478

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Sōmon (Love Exchanges)"
Like the white peak of Kona said to be so far away, whether they meet or not the singer's name is always linked with the beloved's. Perplexity at being bound by gossip and a feeling not entirely unwelcome both show through.
It is one of the love exchanges. The white peak of Kona is of unknown location; some take it as Mount Shirane in Kōzuke.
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, "tōshi tou": "Tou" is a contraction of "to iu": said to be far.
Second line, "kona no shirane ni": The white peak of Kona, a mountain of unknown location.
Third line, "aoshida mo": "Ao" is "au," and "shida" an eastern word for time: when we meet.
Fourth line, "awanoe shida mo": "Noe" is an eastern negative: when we do not meet. The third and fourth lines are parallel.
Final line, "na ni koso yosare": "Koso" is a binding particle answered by the perfective "sare"; "yosare" means being linked by rumor.
Source: Manyoshu
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