Kaku nomi ya aga koioramu nubatama no yoru no himo dani tokisakezu shite

かくのみや我が恋ひ居らむぬばたまの
夜の紐だに解き放けずして

Roma-ji: Kaku nomi ya aga koioramu nubatama no yoru no himo dani tokisakezu shite
English Translation: Is it always so
that I must stay here longing,
through the jet-black night,
not even the cords of my robe
ever loosened or untied
Meaning: Must I always go on longing like this, never even untying the cords of my robe through the jet-black night?
Commentary: Book Seventeen 3938

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Twelve poems sent by Lady Heguri to Ōtomo no Sukune Yakamochi, Governor of Etchū"
Must she go on longing like this, never even untying the cords of her night robe?—a poem lamenting sleeping alone. This is one of twelve poems that Lady Heguri entrusted to messengers from time to time and sent to Yakamochi, who had left the capital as Governor of Etchū. Untying the cords meant sleeping together, and the poem expresses the loneliness of spending nights alone without that.
The poet, Lady Heguri, was a woman of the Heguri clan whose life is otherwise unknown. She was one of the women who exchanged love poems with Yakamochi.
The left note reads, "The above twelve poems were sent from time to time by passing messengers; they were not sent all at once."

First line, "kaku nomi ya": the same words as the third line of 3936, ya being interrogative.
Second line, "aga koioramu": the same as the last line of 3936, bound to ya in the first line. The poem pauses here.
Third line, "nubatama no": a pillow word for night.
Fourth line, "yoru no himo dani": "not even the cords of my night robe," dani marking the least thing.
Fifth line, "tokisakezu shite": "without loosening them," meaning sleeping alone. In 3948 and 3950 of this book Yakamochi too says he has not untied the cords tied when he left his wife in the capital, so thoughts about cords echo through the book.
Author: Lady Heguri
Source: Manyoshu
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