Ashi no ne no nemokoro omoite musubiteshi tama no o to iwaba hito tokame ya mo

葦の根のねもころ思ひて結びてし
玉の緒といはば人解かめやも

Roma-ji: Ashi no ne no nemokoro omoite musubiteshi tama no o to iwaba hito tokame ya mo
English Translation: Like the roots of reeds
with a heart so deeply set
I tied it fast—
if I say it is my pearls' cord,
would another dare untie it?
Meaning: If I say this is the cord of pearls I tied with all my heart, deep as the tangled roots of reeds—would anyone untie it? Never.
Commentary: Book Seven Allegorical Poems 1324

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "On Jewels"
The poet says that if one declares it a cord of pearls tied with deep devotion, no one else will untie it. The cord stands for a firm pledge between lovers, and the poem expresses confidence that a bond tied in deep mutual love will not be disturbed by others.
It is the eighth poem on jewels. The third line, "I tied it fast," is the same as the third line of poem 1321; where that poem laments the breaking of a tied cord, this one says no one will untie it, and the two form a pair. The poet is unknown.

The first line, "Like the roots of reeds," is a pillow word for "nemokoro," through the sound "ne" (root) and the image of tangled reed roots.
The second line, "with a heart so deeply set," means thinking with all one's heart.
The third line, "I tied it fast," is the same as the third line of poem 1321.
The fourth line, "if I say it is my pearls' cord," uses the cord of pearls as a figure for a pledge.
The final line, "would another dare untie it?" is rhetorical with "meya mo": no one would.
Source: Manyoshu
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