Komu to iu mo konu toki aru o koji to iu o komu to wa mataji koji to iu mono o

来むと言ふも来ぬ時あるを来じと言ふを
来むとは待たじ来じと言ふものを

Roma-ji: Komu to iu mo konu toki aru o koji to iu o komu to wa mataji koji to iu mono o
English Translation: Though you say you'll come,
there are times you do not come;
when you say you won't,
I will not wait for your coming,
since you say you will not come
Meaning: Even when you say you will come, there are times you do not; so when you say you will not come, I will not wait for you to come, since you have said you will not.
Commentary: Book Four Love Poems 527

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Four poems by Ōtomo no Iratsume in reply"
Even when he says he will come, there are times he does not; so when he says he will not come, she will not wait for him. The poem turns on repetitions of komu, "will come," and koji, "will not come." Beneath its light, word-playing tone lie resentment toward a lover whose visits cannot be counted on and a heart that waits all the same. It is known as one of the Man'yōshū's most striking examples of verbal repetition.
According to the left note, she was the daughter of Ōtomo no Yasumaro, the Saho Major Counselor; she first married Prince Hozumi and enjoyed his favor, and after his death was courted by Fujiwara no Maro. Because she lived in the village of Sakanoue, she was called Lady Sakanoue.
The author, Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue, was a daughter of Ōtomo no Yasumaro and half-sister of Ōtomo no Tabito. She left many poems in the Man'yōshū and is esteemed as a leading woman poet.

First line, "Though you say you'll come," uses the volitional mu: even when you say you will come.
Second line, "there are times you do not come," uses the concessive o: though there are times you fail to come, voicing discontent at promises broken.
Third line, "when you say you won't," uses ji, the auxiliary of negative intention: when you say you will not come. With its extra syllable, it pairs with "will come" in the first line.
Fourth line, "I will not wait for your coming," combines komu and ji: I will not wait expecting you. She talks herself out of waiting, and the poem breaks after this line.
Fifth line, "since you say you will not come," runs to eight syllables and repeats "say you will not come" from the third line, giving the reason by inversion.
Author: Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue
Source: Manyoshu
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