Was I Lost Poem by Ono no Komachi

思ひつつぬればや人の見えつらむ夢としりせばさめざらましを omoFitutu nureba ya Fito no mieturan yume to siriseba samezaramasi wo Was I lost in thoughts of love When I closed my eyes? He Appeared, and Had I known it for a dream I would not have awakened. Ono no Komachi (小野小町) [from KOKINSHŪ - KKS XII: 552]

In his preface to the Kokinshu [the abbreviated term for the Imperial anthology Kokin Wakashū - conceived of by Emperor Uda (r.887–897) it was published by order of his son, Emperor Daigo (r.897–930) , in about 905. Its finished form dates to c.920], Ki no Tsurayuki listed the ''Six Best Waka Poets'' in history: Kisen Hōshi, Ono no Komachi, Sōjō Henjō, Ariwara no Narihira, Fun'ya no Yasuhide and Ōtomo no Kuronushi. Strangely, he then ridicules them in the same preface* (maybe for Japanese modesty?) .

* Ki no Tsurayuki (872–945) , in the preface, had a unique critique for each of the 6 poets. Thi is what he wrote about Ono no Komachi: ''As to Ono no Komachi, she has pathos but lacks power, like a fair but feeble woman.'' (! ?)

In a different translation: 思ひつつ寝ればや人の見えつらむ夢と知りせばさめざらましを As I yearned for him I closed my eyes and there he was! Standing before me, If I’d known it was a dream I wouldn't have awoken.. (Ono no Komachi)