Mei no no no susuki oshinabe furu yuki ni yado karu kyō shi kanashiku omohoyu

婦負の野のすすき押しなべ降る雪に
宿借る今日し悲しく思ほゆ

Roma-ji: Mei no no no susuki oshinabe furu yuki ni yado karu kyō shi kanashiku omohoyu
English Translation: On the moor of Mei
pressing down the pampas grass
the falling snow comes—
today, seeking out a lodging,
how sorrowful I feel
Meaning: On the moor of Mei the falling snow bends the pampas grass down to the ground—and today, as I seek a lodging for the night, how sad I feel.
Commentary: Book Seventeen 4016

Headnote: "A poem by Takechi no Muraji Kurohito (date unknown)"
In the snow that bends down the pampas grass on Mei moor, seeking a lodging today feels sad—a poem of a traveler's loneliness. The headnote says its date is unknown. Since it sings of Mei moor in Etchū, it may have been composed when Kurohito traveled there, but nothing more is known. According to the left note it was recited by Mikuni no Ioe, and was recorded in Yakamochi's poetic diary as an old poem connected with Etchū.
The poet, Takechi no Kurohito, was a poet of the reigns of Jitō and Monmu, distinguished for his travel poems.
The left note reads, "The above poem was recited by Mikuni no Mahito Ioe."

First line, "Mei no no no": Mei was a district of Etchū, around present-day Toyama city; the line is hypermetric (six morae). Place names of Mei District, which Yakamochi toured, also appear in 4022 and 4023 of this book.
Second line, "susuki oshinabe": "pressing the pampas grass down," showing the weight of the snow.
Third line, "furu yuki ni": "in the falling snow."
Fourth line, "yado karu kyō shi": seeking lodging on a journey, shi being emphatic.
Fifth line, "kanashiku omohoyu": "I feel sad," closing on the forlornness of a traveler seeking shelter on a snowy moor.
Author: Takechi no Kurohito
Source: Manyoshu
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