Wagimoko ga katami no koromo shita ni kite tada ni au made wa ware nukame ya mo

我妹子が形見の衣下に着て
直に逢ふまでは我れ脱かめやも

Roma-ji: Wagimoko ga katami no koromo shita ni kite tada ni au made wa ware nukame ya mo
English Translation: My dear one's keepsake,
this robe she has given me,
I wear next my skin;
till we meet face to face again,
would I ever take it off
Meaning: I wear beneath my clothes the robe my beloved gave me as a keepsake; would I take it off before we meet face to face?
Commentary: Book Four Love Poems 747

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Fifteen more poems sent by Ōtomo no Sukune Yakamochi to the Elder Daughter of Sakanoue"
He vows to wear her keepsake robe beneath his clothes and never take it off until they meet face to face. Like the maiden's poem 637 in this book, it speaks of never parting from a keepsake robe.
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, "My dear one's keepsake," means my beloved's.
Second line, "this robe she has given me," names the keepsake robe.
Third line, "I wear next my skin," means wearing it underneath.
Fourth line, "till we meet face to face again," runs to eight syllables.
Fifth line, "would I ever take it off," uses the rhetorical meya mo: would I remove it? Never.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
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