Momotose ni oishita idete yoyomu tomo ware wa itowaji koi wa masu tomo

百年に老舌出でてよよむとも
我れはいとはじ恋ひは増すとも

Roma-ji: Momotose ni oishita idete yoyomu tomo ware wa itowaji koi wa masu tomo
English Translation: Even at a hundred,
with your aged tongue poking out,
tottering along,
I would never turn from you;
rather, my love would only grow
Meaning: Even if you lived to a hundred, your old tongue poking out and your body tottering, I would never shun you; my love for you would only grow.
Commentary: Book Four Love Poems 764

Headnote: "A poem by Ōtomo no Sukune Yakamochi in reply"
Answering Ki no Iratsume, who worried about her age, Yakamochi says that even if she lived to a hundred, her old tongue poking out and her body tottering, he would not dislike her; his love would only grow. Beneath the playful exaggeration lies tender consideration.
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, "Even at a hundred," means reaching a hundred years.
Second line, "with your aged tongue poking out," exaggerates the image of old age.
Third line, "tottering along," uses yoyomu, "to totter with age": even if you became doddering.
Fourth line, "I would never turn from you," uses ji, negative intention: I will not shun you. The poem breaks after this line.
Fifth line, "rather, my love would only grow," adds by inversion the depth of his feeling.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
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