Todomeenu inochi ni shi areba shikitae no ie yu wa idete kumogakuriniki

留めえぬ命にしあれば敷栲の
家ゆは出でて雲隠りにき

Roma-ji: Todomeenu inochi ni shi areba shikitae no ie yu wa idete kumogakuriniki
English Translation: Since it was a life
that could not be held back here,
from the house she knew,
soft as cloth, she took her leave
and has hidden in the clouds.
Meaning: Since hers was a life that could not be held back, she left the house where she had lived and vanished behind the clouds.
Commentary: Book Three Elegies 461

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "A poem with tanka composed by Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue in grief at the death of the nun Rigan in the year 7, kinoto-i" — "Envoy"
This is the envoy to a long poem grieving the death of Rigan, a nun from Silla who had lived with the Ōtomo household. Hers was a life that could not be held back, and she left the house she knew and died—quiet mourning for Rigan. According to the left note, Rigan came from Silla and lived for many years in the house of the Great Counselor Ōtomo no Yasumaro, but fell ill and died in Tenpyō 7 (735). At that time Lady Sakanoue's mother, Lady Ishikawa, had gone to the Arima hot springs for treatment and could not attend the funeral, so Lady Sakanoue alone saw the burial through and sent this poem to her mother at the springs.
The poet, Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue, was a daughter of Ōtomo no Yasumaro, half-sister of Ōtomo no Tabito, and aunt of Ōtomo no Yakamochi. As mistress of the Ōtomo household she supported the clan, and she left many poems in the Man'yōshū.

First line "Since it was a life" introduces a life that could not be held.
Second line "that could not be held back here": shi is emphatic.
Third line "soft as cloth" renders shikitae no, a pillow word for "house" and "pillow."
Fourth line "from the house she knew": yu means "from," showing she left the Ōtomo house where she long lived.
Fifth line "and has hidden in the clouds": kumogakuru is a euphemism for death, and niki gives completion and past.
Author: Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue
Source: Manyoshu
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