Azumaji no Sano no funabashi kakete nomi omoiwataru o shiru hito no naki - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

東路の佐野の舟橋かけてのみ
思ひわたるを知る人のなき

Roma-ji: Azumaji no Sano no funabashi kakete nomi omoiwataru o shiru hito no naki
English Translation: On the eastern road,
the floating bridge of Sano
spans the stream—so I
keep you in my heart, crossing on,
yet no one knows of it
Meaning: Like the floating bridge of Sano on the eastern road, I keep you always in my heart and go on loving, and yet no one knows of it.
Commentary: Book Ten Love Poems II 619

Headnote: "Sent to someone."
The poet says that, like the floating bridge of Sano that spans the river, he keeps her in his heart and goes on loving, yet no one knows of it. He voices the ache of a secret love through the image of a boat bridge in the east.
According to the headnote, it was sent to someone. The floating bridge of Sano is a poetic place in Kōzuke, sung of in the Eastern Songs of the Man'yōshū. The last line of the main text reads "shiru hito no naki," which does not match "shiru hito no nasa" in the kana reading; here the main text is followed.
The poet, called "Minamoto no Hitoshi Ason," is Minamoto no Hitoshi. A great-grandson of Emperor Saga, he served as Consultant. His "asajiu no Ono no shinohara shinoburedo" is included in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu.

The first line, "Azumaji no," means "on the road from the capital to the east."
The second line, "Sano no funabashi," is the bridge of boats with planks laid across them at Sano in Kōzuke. The first two lines form a preface leading to "kakete."
In the third line, "kakete" is a pivot word joining spanning a bridge and keeping someone in one's heart.
In the fourth line, "wataru" suggests both crossing the bridge and continuing to love, and is an associated word with the bridge.
The last line, "shiru hito no naki," means "there is no one who knows," ending in the attributive form to convey a sigh.
Author: Minamoto no Hitoshi
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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