To Lady Daibu from her lover Sukemori:
Ura mite mo
kai shi nakereba
sumi no e ni
ou cho-o kusa o
tazunete zo miru
Gazing at the bay brings me no shells,
nor does my bitterness avail;
so I have been in search
of lillies of forgetfulness, which,
it is said, grow by the Bay of Sumi.
Her reply:
Sumi no e no
kusa oba hito no
kokoro nite
ware zo kai naki
mi o uraminuru
Forgetfulness, which grows
with lillies from the Bay of Sumi,
lies within your heart, not mine;
I am the one who should resent
a love without reward.
Heian era, Japan