Yo no naka no shigeki kariho ni sumi sumite itaramu kuni no tazuki shirazu mo

世間の繁き仮廬に住み住みて
至らむ国のたづき知らずも

Roma-ji: Yo no naka no shigeki kariho ni sumi sumite itaramu kuni no tazuki shirazu mo
English Translation: In this world of ours,
this crowded hut of passage,
I dwell and dwell on,
and to the land I should reach
I know no path at all.
Meaning: Dwelling on and on in this crowded, makeshift hut that is the world, I know no way to reach the land where I should go.
Commentary: Book Sixteen Poems with Tales of Origin and Miscellaneous Poems 3850

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Two poems weary of the world's impermanence."
The poet laments that, living on in this troubled world as in a temporary hut, he knows no way to reach the pure land where he ought to go. Where the preceding poem speaks of longing for enlightenment, this one voices the grief of one who remains caught in delusion.
According to the left note, these two poems were found written on the face of a Japanese koto kept in the Buddha hall of Kawaradera, a temple at Asuka in Yamato, also written 川原寺. The idea that this world is merely temporary echoes the saying "the world is empty and false," attributed to Prince Shōtoku.
The poet is not recorded.

First line, "yo no naka no," means "of this world," the fleeting world of Buddhist thought.
Second line, "shigeki kariho ni," means "in a crowded temporary hut," likening this world to a rough, makeshift shelter.
Third line, "sumi sumite," means "dwelling on and on." Repeating the verb conveys a long stay in the world of delusion.
Fourth line, "itaramu kuni no," means "of the land I should reach," a pure land or the realm of awakening. Like "the mountain at low tide" in the preceding poem, 3849, it points to a place beyond delusion.
Final line, "tazuki shirazu mo," means "I know no way." It matches the last line of poem 3812, "tadoki shirazu mo," turning a phrase of love's lament into one of impermanence.
Source: Manyoshu
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