classic waka stream

常の恋いまだやまぬに都より
馬に恋来ば担ひあへむかも
Roma-ji

Tsune no koi imada yamanu ni miyako yori uma ni koi koba ninai aemu kamo

English Translation
My usual longing
has not yet come to an end,
and if from the capital
more love comes loaded on a horse,
could I bear it on my back?
Meaning
My usual longing has not yet ceased—if love should come from the capital loaded on a horse, could I bear the weight of it?
Commentary
Book Eighteen 4083

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Poems in reply by Ōtomo no Sukune Yakamochi, governor of Etchū, together with poems of his heart, three in all."
The poet says that his usual longing has not yet subsided, so if love loaded on a horse should come from the capital, could he bear it? Taking up as it is the novel idea of Lady Sakanoue's 4081, sending unrequited love on horseback, he wittily answers that his own longing is heavy too.
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.

First line, "tsune no koi": the usual longing he feels every day. "Tsune" echoes her "tsunehito no."
Second line, "imada yamanu ni": "ni" is adversative, "though it has not yet stopped."
Third line, "miyako yori": from the opposite direction to her "koshibe ni yaraba," it shows something coming from the capital to Etchū.
Fourth line, "uma ni koi koba": taking up her "uma ni futsuma ni ōse mote," he supposes that love loaded on a horse should come.
Last line, "ninai aemu kamo": "au" means "to manage fully," "mu" is conjectural, and "kamo" an exclamation with a question. To her "hito katawamu kamo," he replies with humor that even with help he could hardly bear it.
Author
Otomo no Yakamochi
Source
Manyoshu
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