Uchishinobi iza Suminoe no wasuregusa wasurete hito no mata ya tsumanu to - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

うち忍びいざすみの江の忘れ草
忘れて人のまたや摘まぬと

Roma-ji: Uchishinobi iza Suminoe no wasuregusa wasurete hito no mata ya tsumanu to
English Translation: Quietly, in secret,
come, let me dwell at Suminoe,
where forgetting-grass grows,
to see if, forgetting me,
you will pick it once again.
Meaning: Let me go secretly and dwell at Suminoe, to watch whether you, forgetting me, will pick its grass of forgetting once again.
Commentary: Book Eight Miscellaneous Poems I 466

Headnote: "Topic unknown"
The poet proposes to go secretly and live at Suminoe, to see whether the beloved, forgetting the poet, will pick its forgetting-grass again. Through the forgetting-grass, said to make one forget sorrows when worn, it expresses anxiety over the other's change of heart. It joins "iza sumi," come, let me dwell, with Suminoe, and repeats "wasuregusa" and "wasurete" to set the rhythm. The same place as Sumiyoshi in 456 and 462 of this book is sung here under the name Suminoe.

First line, "uchishinobi," means "in secret."
Second line, "iza Suminoe no," means "come, let me dwell, of Suminoe." "Sumi" is a pivot word joining "sumi," to dwell, and the place name Suminoe.
Third line, "wasuregusa," is the day lily, a plant said to make one forget sorrows when worn.
Fourth line, "wasurete hito no," means "forgetting me, that person," repeating the same word as "wasuregusa" in the third line.
Final line, "mata ya tsumanu to," means "whether they will not pick it again," with "ya" a questioning particle. It expresses worry that the beloved may again pick the forgetting-grass to forget the poet.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Shui Wakashu
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