Kou to iu wa e mo nazuketari iu sube no tazuki mo naki wa aga mi nari keri

恋ふといふはえも名付けたり言ふすべの
たづきもなきは我が身なりけり

Roma-ji: Kou to iu wa e mo nazuketari iu sube no tazuki mo naki wa aga mi nari keri
English Translation: "Love's longing"—how well
someone gave that thing its name!
with no way to speak,
no means at all to ease it—
that, I find, is my own self.
Meaning: How well they named it "longing"! The one with no words to tell it and no means to ease it turns out to be me.
Commentary: Book Eighteen 4078

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Four poems sent in reply by Ōtomo no Yakamochi, governor of Etchū Province." "In answer to the poem of the heart, expressing today's feelings in the tracks of the men of old."
The poet says that "longing" was well named indeed, for the one without words to express it and without any means of relief is himself. Answering Ikenushi's 4075, which lamented that his friend did not think of him, Yakamochi replies that it is rather he who longs beyond words.
Ōtomo no Yakamochi was the son of Ōtomo no Tabito, and from 746 he served as governor of Etchū. He is believed to have played a central role in compiling the Man'yōshū, and this book has the character of a poetic diary of his years in Etchū.
As the headnote says, "expressing today's feelings in the tracks of the men of old," the poem borrows the traces of old poems to express his present feelings.

First line, "kou to iu wa": it begins by taking up the word "kou," "to long," itself.
Second line, "e mo nazuketari": "e" is an adverb meaning "well." He marvels at how aptly it was named, and the poem pauses after the second line.
Third line, "iu sube no": "of a way to express," pointing to the limits of words.
Fourth line, "tazuki mo naki wa": "tazuki" means a clue or means, describing a state that neither word nor deed can remedy.
Last line, "aga mi nari keri": "keri" expresses the exclamation of realization. To Ikenushi's "nageki wataru ka," he answers that he has realized it is he himself who sighs.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
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