Ōnako o ochikatanobe ni karu kaya no tsuka no aida mo ware wasureme ya

大名児を彼方野辺に刈る草の
束の間も我れ忘れめや

Roma-ji: Ōnako o ochikatanobe ni karu kaya no tsuka no aida mo ware wasureme ya
English Translation: Ōnako, my dear—
like the grass cut in bundles
in the far meadows,
not for a bundle's short breadth
could I ever forget you.
Meaning: Ōnako, my love—not even for the short span of a handful of grass cut in the distant meadows could I ever forget you.
Commentary: Book Two Love Poems 110

Headnote: "A poem bestowed by Prince Hinamishi on Lady Ishikawa"
Using the bundles of grass cut in a distant meadow, he tells Lady Ishikawa that he will not forget her for even the briefest moment.
A note to the headnote says that the lady's familiar name was Ōnako. The poem seems to have been sent to the same Lady Ishikawa courted by Prince Ōtsu, and the arrangement suggests a rivalry in love between the two princes.
The author, Prince Kusakabe, was the son of Emperor Tenmu and Empress Jitō. He became Crown Prince but died before taking the throne. Honored as Hinamishi no Miko no Mikoto, he was the father of Emperor Monmu.

The first line, "ōnako o," is Lady Ishikawa's familiar name, opening the poem like an address.
The second line, "ochikatanobe ni," means "in the far meadows."
The third line, "karu kaya no," means "of the grass being cut." The preface ends here and, since cut grass is bound in handfuls, leads to tsuka, "a handful."
The fourth line, "tsuka no aida mo," means "even for the span of a handful," that is, for the briefest moment.
In the final line, "ware wasureme ya," me is the perfective form of mu and ya is rhetorical: could I forget? Never.
Author: Prince Kusakabe
Source: Manyoshu
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