Iyu shishi o tsunagu kawabe no nikogusa no mi no wakakae ni sa neshi kora wa mo

射ゆ鹿を認ぐ川辺のにこ草の
身の若かへにさ寝し子らはも

Roma-ji: Iyu shishi o tsunagu kawabe no nikogusa no mi no wakakae ni sa neshi kora wa mo
English Translation: Tracking the deer
struck by arrows, by the river
the soft grasses grow—
in my body's youthful days
the girl I slept with, where is she?
Meaning: Like the soft grass by the river where we tracked the wounded deer—ah, that girl I slept with in the days when I was young!
Commentary: Book Sixteen Poems with Tales of Origin and Miscellaneous Poems 3874

Headnote: none; the left note reads: "The above is one poem."
The poet fondly recalls the girl he slept with in his youth and wonders how she fares now. With a hunting scene—the soft grass by the river where a wounded deer is tracked—as a preface, he looks back on a youthful love.
The left note records only "the above is one poem," and its author and origin are unknown.
The poet is not recorded.

First line, "iyu shishi o," means "the wounded deer." Iyu adds the passive yu to iru, "to shoot."
Second line, "tsunagu kawabe no," means "by the river where we tracked it."
Third line, "nikogusa no," means "of the soft grass." The first three lines form a preface leading into wakakae in the fourth line.
Fourth line, "mi no wakakae ni," means "in the days when I was young," turning from soft young grass to his own youth.
Final line, "sa neshi kora wa mo," means "the girl I slept with—where is she now?" Wa mo expresses wistful recollection, closing on longing for a lost love.
Source: Manyoshu
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