Azusayumi sue wa yorinemu masaka koso hitome o ōmi na o hashi ni okere

梓弓末は寄り寝むまさかこそ
人目を多み汝をはしに置けれ

Roma-ji: Azusayumi sue wa yorinemu masaka koso hitome o ōmi na o hashi ni okere
English Translation: A catalpa bow—
at the tip, in time, we'll sleep as one;
now, though, for the while,
as so many eyes are watching,
I keep you in between.
Meaning: Like the tip of a catalpa bow, in the end we will sleep together—but for now, with so many eyes upon us, I keep you halfway.
Commentary: Book Fourteen Azuma Poems 3490

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Sōmon (Love Exchanges)"
In time they will lie together, the singer tells the beloved, but for now, with so many watching eyes, he keeps her at a distance. The promise of the future and the frustration of the present are contrasted through "sue" and "masaka."
A note in the text says it "appears in the Kakinomoto no Hitomaro Collection." Following the preceding poem it begins with "azusayumi," the third poem in this book from 3487 to do so.
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, "azusayumi": A pillow word for "tip," the same opening as 3487 and 3489.
Second line, "sue wa yorinemu": "Sue" is the future, and "yorinemu" means we will lie close; the poem pauses here.
Third line, "masaka koso": "Masaka" is now, paired with "sue" in the second line; "koso" binds with the last line.
Fourth line, "hitome o ōmi": "O ... mi" gives the reason: because eyes are many.
Final line, "na o hashi ni okere": "Hashi" means halfway, the same word as "hashi naru kora shi" in 3408 from Kōzuke. "Okere" is the perfective completing "koso."
Source: Manyoshu
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