Awayuki no kenubeki mono o ima made ni nagaraenuru wa imo ni awamu to zo

沫雪の消ぬべきものを今までに
流らへぬるは妹に逢はむとぞ

Roma-ji: Awayuki no kenubeki mono o ima made ni nagaraenuru wa imo ni awamu to zo
English Translation: Like the light snow, I
should surely have melted away,
yet until this day
I have lived on, and it is
so that I might meet you, sister
Meaning: Though I might have vanished like the light snow, I have lived on until now only so that I might meet you, my sister.
Commentary: Book Eight Winter Love Poems 1662

Headnote: "A poem given by the Elder Daughter of Ōtomo of Tamura to her younger sister, the Elder Daughter of Sakanoue"
Though she might have vanished like the light snow, the poet says she has lived on until now only in hope of meeting her sister. The deep affection between sisters is expressed in words as earnest as those of a love poem.
The author, the Elder Daughter of Ōtomo of Tamura, was a daughter of Ōtomo no Sukunamaro and an elder half-sister of the Elder Daughter of Sakanoue. She is called by this name because she lived in the village of Tamura.

The first line means "of the light snow that melts like foam," leading to "vanish" in the second line.
The second line means "though I ought to have vanished," showing her own fragile life. Heki no Nagae no Otome's 1564 in this book likewise lays herself over the fragility of dew, "as if I would vanish."
The third line means "until now."
The fourth line means "that I have lived on." In the Suruga lady-in-waiting's 1420 in this book, "nagarau" is used of flowers scattering on and on as if streaming, so the same word is used in spring of falling flowers and in winter of life prolonged.
The final line closes with "zo," stressing the reason she has lived on: to meet her sister.
Author: Ōtomo no Tamura no Ōiratsume
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Hisakata no tsukuyo o kiyomi ume no hana kokoro hirakete aga omoeru kimi
Next Poem: Awayuki no niwa ni furishiki samuki yo o tamakura makazu hitori kamo nemu