Ōnamuchi Sukunahikona no imashikemu Shitsu no iwaya wa ikuyo henikemu

大汝少彦名のいましけむ
志都の石屋は幾代経にけむ

Roma-ji: Ōnamuchi Sukunahikona no imashikemu Shitsu no iwaya wa ikuyo henikemu
English Translation: Ōnamuchi
and Sukunahikona
once dwelt here, they say—
the rock cave of Shitsu, how
many ages has it passed?
Meaning: The rock cave of Shitsu, where the gods Ōnamuchi and Sukunahikona are said to have dwelt—how many ages has it seen go by?
Commentary: Book Three Miscellaneous Poems 355

Headnote: "A poem by Ōshi no Suguri Mahito"
Visiting the rock cave of Shitsu, where legend says the land-making gods Ōnamuchi and Sukunahikona dwelt, the poet contemplates the long ages since the time of the gods. Linking the mythic past and the present through the cave, he expresses awe at eternal time. The cave has been identified with the Shizu no Iwaya in present-day Ōda, Shimane, among other sites. Like poem 307 on the rock cave of Miho, it honors a cave of legend.
The poet, Ōshi no Mahito, was an official of the Nara period, but little is known of him.

First line "Ōnamuchi" is another name of Ōkuninushi, who is said to have made the land with Sukunahikona.
Second line "and Sukunahikona" names the small god who shared in the land-making.
Third line "once dwelt here, they say": imasu is the honorific of "to be," and kemu past conjecture. It echoes the third line of poem 307, "once made his dwelling."
Fourth line "the rock cave of Shitsu" is the cave where the two gods lived.
Fifth line "how many ages has it passed" repeats kemu from the third line, ending in awe at the endless span of time.
Author: Ōshi no Mahito
Source: Manyoshu
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