Kuni tōki michi no nagate o ōhoshiku kyō ya suginamu kotodoi mo naku

国遠き道の長手をおほほしく
今日や過ぎなむ言どひもなく

Roma-ji: Kuni tōki michi no nagate o ōhoshiku kyō ya suginamu kotodoi mo naku
English Translation: Far from my homeland,
on the long and weary road,
with a heavy heart,
shall I pass away today,
with no chance to say a word?
Meaning: Far from home on this long road, heavy-hearted, am I to pass away today without exchanging a single word with my parents?
Commentary: Book Five Miscellaneous Poems 884

Headnote: "Two poems of Ōtomo no Kimi Kumagori, composed by Senior Clerk Asada no Yasu"
The poem speaks for the dying Kumagori, lamenting that far from home on a long road, heavy-hearted, he must die today without a word with his parents.
Ōtomo no Kimi Kumagori, of Mashiki District in Higo, was on his way to the capital in the sixth month of Tenpyō 3, aged eighteen, as attendant to a provincial official serving as wrestling envoy, when he fell ill and died at the Takaba post station in Saeki District, Aki. Asada no Yasu mourned his death and wrote two poems in Kumagori's voice. Following these, Yamanoue no Okura composed six poems in response, expressing Kumagori's feelings.
The poet, Asada no Yasu, descended from immigrants from Paekche; his family name was originally Tōhon, and he was later granted the name Asada no Muraji. At this time he held the post of Senior Clerk at Dazaifu, and his Chinese verse survives in the anthology Kaifūsō.

First line, "kuni tōki": "far from home."
Second line, "michi no nagate o": "nagate" is a long road, showing he is still on the journey.
Third line, "ōhoshiku": dim and heavy-hearted.
Fourth line, "kyō ya suginamu": "ya" poses a question and "sugu" means to depart this life, resolved by "namu": shall I pass away today?
Fifth line, "kotodoi mo naku": "without exchanging a word," the inversion closing on the grief of not speaking last words with his parents.
Author: Asada no Yasu
Source: Manyoshu
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