Mitami ware ikeru shirushi ari ametsuchi no sakayuru toki ni aeraku omoeba

御民我れ生ける験あり天地の
栄ゆる時にあへらく思へば

Roma-ji: Mitami ware ikeru shirushi ari ametsuchi no sakayuru toki ni aeraku omoeba
English Translation: I, the sovereign's folk,
find it worth my while to live,
when heaven and earth
flourish in this age of ours—
to think I have met such times
Meaning: I, one of the sovereign's people, find my life worth living when I think that I have been born into an age when heaven and earth flourish.
Commentary: Book Six Miscellaneous Poems 996

Headnote: "A poem by Ama no Inukai no Sukune Okamaro in response to an imperial command, in the sixth year, the year of kinoe-inu"
This poem declares that the poet, as one of the emperor's people, finds his life worthwhile when he thinks that he has been born into an age that flourishes together with heaven and earth. Presented in response to an imperial command, it celebrates the prosperity of the reign and frankly expresses the joy of being one of its subjects.
"The sixth year, kinoe-inu" in the headnote corresponds to Tenpyō 6 (734). The poem is known for its forceful opening, in which the poet names himself one of the sovereign's people, and it was included in the "Patriotic Hundred Poets" selected in Shōwa 17 (1942), during the Pacific War.
The poet, Ama no Inukai no Okamaro, was an official of the Nara period. The Ama no Inukai clan served as guards of the palace gates, but little is known of Okamaro's own career.

The first line, "I, the sovereign's folk," means "I, who am one of the emperor's people." "Mitami" is a respectful word for the emperor's subjects, and the poem opens with a strong declaration naming himself as one of them.
The second line, "find it worth my while to live," means "there is meaning in being alive." This line has an extra syllable, and the sense breaks here, after the second line; what follows gives the reason in inverted order.
The third line, "when heaven and earth," refers to heaven and earth, the subject of "flourish" that follows. The prosperity of the reign is grasped on the grand scale of the whole world.
The fourth line, "flourish in this age of ours," means "in a time of flourishing." This age in which heaven and earth thrive is praised as the reign of the emperor.
The final line, "to think I have met such times," means "when I think that I have met with it." "Aeraku" is a nominalized form of "au" with the perfective "ri," meaning that one has come upon such a time. The reason for "worth my while to live" in the second line is given in inverted order to close the poem.
Author: Ama no Inukai no Okamaro
Source: Manyoshu
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