Hōshira ga hige no sorikui uma tsunagi itaku na hiki so hōshi wa nakamu

法師らが鬚の剃り杭馬繋
いたくな引きそ法師は泣かむ

Roma-ji: Hōshira ga hige no sorikui uma tsunagi itaku na hiki so hōshi wa nakamu
English Translation: On the stubble-stakes
of the monks' shaven whiskers,
tie your horse, but then
do not pull too hard on it—
or the monks will start to cry!
Meaning: If you tether your horse to the stubble-stakes of the monks' shaved beards, don't pull too hard, or the monks will cry!
Commentary: Book Sixteen Poems with Tales of Origin and Miscellaneous Poems 3846

Headnote: "A poem playfully mocking monks; one poem."
Likening a monk's shaved stubble to stakes, the poet warns not to tie a horse to them and tug too hard, lest the monk weep. The outlandish image of beard stubble as hitching posts raises a laugh.
The next poem, 3847, is the mocked monk's reply, and the two form a playful exchange.
The poet is not recorded.

First line, "hōshira ga," means "of the monks."
Second line, "hige no sorikui," likens the short stubble after shaving to stakes.
Third line, "uma tsunagi," means "tying a horse," spinning the stake image into a comic scene.
Fourth line, "itaku na hiki so," means "do not pull hard," and the poem pauses here. Na... so marks a prohibition.
Final line, "hōshi wa nakamu," means "the monks will cry." It repeats hōshi from the first line and pairs with the next poem's last line, "you too will cry."
Source: Manyoshu
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