Komori nomi koureba kurushi yama no ha yu idekuru tsuki no arawasaba ikani

隠りのみ恋ふれば苦し山の端ゆ
出でくる月の顕さばいかに

Roma-ji: Komori nomi koureba kurushi yama no ha yu idekuru tsuki no arawasaba ikani
English Translation: Hiding all the while,
to love like this is bitter;
like the moon that climbs
over the mountain's rim,
why not bring our love to light?
Meaning: It is hard to go on loving in hiding. Like the moon rising from behind the mountain's rim, why not bring our love into the open?
Commentary: Book Sixteen Poems with Tales of Origin and Miscellaneous Poems 3803

Headnote: "Long ago there were a young man and a lovely woman [names unknown]. Without telling her parents they met in secret. The maiden wished to let her parents know, and so she made a poem and sent it to her husband. It ran:"
The maiden tells her lover that loving in secret is painful, and asks whether they might not reveal their bond, as the moon rises from behind the mountain's rim. Her honest wish to be openly accepted by her parents shines through the pain of hidden love.
According to the headnote, a man and woman had been meeting secretly without telling her parents, and the maiden, wishing to tell them, sent this poem to the man. A left note says the man was reported to have answered with a poem, but it could not be found.
The poet is the maiden of the tale; her name is not recorded.

First line, "komori nomi," means "always hidden away." Nomi shows that the secret love has gone on a long time.
Second line, "koureba kurushi," means "loving is painful," and the poem pauses after the second line.
Third line, "yama no ha yu," means "from the mountain's rim." Yu is an ancient case particle marking a point of passage or origin.
Fourth line, "idekuru tsuki no," means "like the rising moon." With the third line it forms an image of something hidden coming into view.
Final line, "arawasaba ikani," means "what if we revealed it?" The hypermetric six syllables carry a hesitant tone of asking.
Source: Manyoshu
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