Nakanaka ni moda mo aramashi o nani su to ka aimisomekemu togezaramaku ni

なかなかに黙もあらましを何すとか
相見そめけむ遂げざらまくに

Roma-ji: Nakanaka ni moda mo aramashi o nani su to ka aimisomekemu togezaramaku ni
English Translation: Better, after all,
had I kept my silence then;
why did I begin,
why did we first come to meet,
when it never could be fulfilled
Meaning: I should rather have kept silent; why did we ever begin to meet, when our love could never be fulfilled?
Commentary: Book Four Love Poems 612

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Two poems by Ōtomo no Sukune Yakamochi in reply"
In the second poem he regrets that he did not stay silent; why did they ever begin to meet, when their love could not be fulfilled? It shows a wish to end the affair with Lady Kasa and closes the whole exchange.
The author, Ōtomo no Yakamochi, was the son of Ōtomo no Tabito and a poet thought to have been deeply involved in compiling the Man'yōshū. He later rose to the rank of Middle Counselor.

First line, "Better, after all," means rather, instead.
Second line, "had I kept my silence then," runs to eight syllables; moda means silence, and the counterfactual mashi: I should have kept silent.
Third line, "why did I begin," asks why, ka being closed by kemu in the fourth line.
Fourth line, "why did we first come to meet," uses aimisomu, "to begin to meet," with past conjectural kemu closing ka.
Fifth line, "when it never could be fulfilled," uses togezaramaku, the nominalized form of togezaramu: though it will not come to fruition. By inversion it gives the reason for regret.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
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