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御垣守衛士のたく火の夜はもへ昼はきえつゝものをこそおもへ
| mikakimori wezi no taku Fi no yoru Fa moFe Firu Fa kietutu mono wo koso omoFe |
On guard at the Palace, Conscripts kindle flames to Burn throughout the night, and Dwindle with the day: As do I, for love of you. |
Ōnakatomi no Yoshinobu
This poem is also included as #49 in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshū compiled by Fujiwara no Teika.
Regarding もへ in the third line: WWWJDIC gives 萌える・もえる (to be infatuated) as a homophone for 燃える・もえる (to burn). Was this a standard pun? Is 思へ・おもへ (fond thoughts/feelings) also intended to be suggested by もへ, or is that too far a reach?
萌える moeru with the meaning ‘to be infatuated’ is a sense that appears after this poem was written. At this point in time the verb was 萌ゆ moyu and was restricted to meaning ‘sprout’ or ‘bud’. It could, however, be used figuratively in poetry about emotions appearing, and potentially that is an additional meaning here – the fires burn, but also spring up, as do the speaker’s feelings of love.