Tamahoko no michi wa tōkedo hashikiyashi imo o aimi ni idete zo waga koshi

玉桙の道は遠けどはしきやし
妹を相見に出でてぞ我が来し

Roma-ji: Tamahoko no michi wa tōkedo hashikiyashi imo o aimi ni idete zo waga koshi
English Translation: Jeweled spear of the road,
the way is long, and yet
to you, so dear to me,
to see you face to face at last
I have set out and come
Meaning: Though the road is long, I have set out and come here to see you, my dear.
Commentary: Book Eight Autumn Love Poems 1619

Headnote: "A poem composed by Ōtomo no Yakamochi on arriving at the Takeda estate of his aunt, Lady Sakanoue"
Though the road is long, the poet says he has set out and come to see his dear one. Visiting the Takeda estate where his aunt, later his mother-in-law, Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue, was staying, he fondly calls her "imo." The note says, "The above two poems were composed in the eighth month of autumn, Tenpyō 11 (739)," and the next poem is Lady Sakanoue's reply.
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, "tamahoko no," is a pillow word for "road."
The second line means "though the road is long."
The third line, "hashikiyashi," means dear and beloved, and modifies "imo" in the fourth line.
The fourth line means "to meet you," here fondly calling his aunt Lady Sakanoue "imo."
The final line forms a kakari-musubi between "zo" and "shi," the attributive of the past "ki," stressing that he came expressly, and expresses his affection.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
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