Imo ga ie no kadota o mimu to uchiidekoshi kokoro mo shiruku teru tsukuyo kamo

妹が家の門田を見むとうち出で来し
心もしるく照る月夜かも

Roma-ji: Imo ga ie no kadota o mimu to uchiidekoshi kokoro mo shiruku teru tsukuyo kamo
English Translation: At my dear girl's house,
to see the fields before her gate,
I set out to come,
and as if to bless my heart,
how brightly shines the moon
Meaning: I set out to see the fields before your gate, and, as if to reward my heart, the moon is shining bright tonight.
Commentary: Book Eight Autumn Miscellaneous Poems 1596

Headnote: "A poem composed by Ōtomo no Sukune Yakamochi on arriving at a maiden's gate"
The poet set out to see the fields before his beloved's gate, and as if to reward his heart, the moon is shining bright. Having visited her house on the pretext of seeing the fields, he rejoices in the bright moonlit night.
The author, Ōtomo no Yakamochi, was a son of Ōtomo no Tabito and an official of the Nara period. He rose to the post of Middle Counselor, is thought to have been closely involved in compiling the Man'yōshū, and left more poems than anyone else in the anthology.

The first line, with an extra syllable, means "of my beloved's house."
The second line, "to see the fields before her gate," gives the pretext for his visit.
The third line, with an extra syllable, means "I set out and came."
The fourth line means "as if to reward my heart."
The final line, with the exclamatory "kamo," expresses joy at the brightly shining moon. Whereas Lady Ki's 1452 in this book is sung from the side of one who waits for a lover who will not come even on a moonlit night, this poem is sung from the side of the one who visits on such a night.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Akihagi no e mo tōo ni oku tsuyu no kenaba kenu tomo iro ni ideme ya mo
Next Poem: Aki no no ni sakeru akihagi akikaze ni nabikeru ue ni aki no tsuyu okeri