詠よみ人びと知しらず

expression

author unknown; anonymous

Used in classical Japanese poetry collections (e.g., Kokinshū) to indicate that the composer of a poem is unknown. The phrase itself is a set expression, not a productive grammatical pattern.

• 古こ今きん和わ歌か集しゅうには「詠よみ人びと知しらず」の歌うたが多おおく収おさめられている。

  The Kokin Wakashū contains many poems marked 'author unknown'.

• この句くは詠よみ人びと知しらずとされている。

  This verse is considered to be by an unknown poet.